Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution on Monday will publish a 100-page report showing anti-Semitism is not getting better, it is getting worse, the agency’s head, Thomas Haldenwang, told the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Haldenwang noted that while 2018 had seen a 71% increase in extremists’ crimes with an anti-Semitic background, 2019 experienced a rise of yet another 17%, the Berlin Spectator reported Sunday. There have been 287 anti-Semitic crimes recorded in the first three months of 2020.
“In the everyday life of Jewish citizens, this means they are subjected to insults, threats and attacks,” Haldenwang said.
Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, or BfV, is the Federal Republic of Germany’s domestic security agency tasked with intelligence-gathering on threats concerning the democratic order, the existence and security of the federation or one of its states, and the peaceful coexistence of the German peoples. Kind of the FBI but with better beer.
Haldenwang says rightwing extremists continue to accuse “the Rothschilds,” “George Soros,” the “parasites” or “Israel”—meaning the Jews, of a worldwide conspiracy. The extreme left has replaced the Nazi’s call “Don’t buy from Jews” with “Don’t buy from Israel.” The BDS movement is growing rapidly in Germany, alongside support for terrorism that targets Jews. BDS representatives regularly make appearances at events supporting Jews or Israel and bully the participants.
Jews are being attacked on the street by Muslims, too, and Jews wearing yarmulkes cannot walk through some parts of Berlin without being attacked. All Jewish institutions and facilities, including synagogues and schools, are under 24-hour police guard.
Unlike the FBI and similar intelligence agencies in other countries, BfV agents have no police authority, they are not allowed to make arrests and they do not carry weapons.