According to the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities (SIG) and the Foundation against Racism and Anti-Semitism (GRA), in 2023 1,130 antisemitic incidents were reported in Switzerland, compared to 910 in 2022.
SIG believes that “As a result of the October 7 attacks and subsequent war in Gaza, various groups – as far as it is possible to classify them – were triggered. These included right-wing and left-wing extremists as well as pro-Palestinian groups, and also some from the political center.”
Out of the ten recorded physical assaults against Jewish individuals in German- and Italian-speaking Switzerland last year, seven took place after the Hamas attacks on October 7. To put it into perspective, 74% of all 155 “real world” incidents were reported after October 7, totaling 114 incidents.
Following the Hamas attacks, there was a surge in antisemitic graffiti, conduct, and displays such as posters and banners. While the distribution of verbal abuse incidents throughout the year was less skewed, they still rose from 16 cases in 2022 to 47 in 2023. According to the SIG, there were no reports of property damage in 2023.
Following October 7, online incidents experienced a slight increase compared to 2022. Out of a total of 975 cases (853 in 2022), 459 incidents took place after October 7, constituting 47% of all digital incidents in the past year. The majority of incidents were on the messaging service Telegram.
According to the Intercommunity Coordination Against Antisemitism and Defamation (CICAD), antisemitic incidents also increased by 68% in French-speaking Switzerland in 2023, with almost half of these incidents taking place after October 7. Since the escalation of the Gaza war, 150 incidents per month have been reported in French-speaking Switzerland, CICAD says.
