Krasnoyarsk, Russia: Cemetery vandals convicted of ethnic hatred

June 25, 2008.

Four teenagers were sentenced for “damaging tombstones motivated by ethnic hatred” after vandalizing a Jewish cemetery in Krasnoyarsk. Cemetery vandals usually are only charged with “hooliganism” but in this case, the culprits were convicted of the elevated hate crime charge.

Source: Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union, 06-27-2008

Paris, France: Jewish teenager in coma following brutal attack

June 21, 2008.

On June 21, seventeen year old Rudy Haddad was attacked on his way to Synagogue in Paris’s 19th arrondissement. He is a member of the local Lubavitch community, and Jewish community members believe he was targeted because he wore a kippah, visibly identifying him as Jewish. » Read more.

Malmö, Sweden: A can labeled "Zyklon B" found near Synagogue

June 21, 2008.

A small canister with a label "Zyklon B" was found outside the Malmö Synagogue. The canister was next to the building and attached to a parking sign. The police are currently investigating further into the incident.

Source: The Coordination Forum for Countering Antisemitism

Prague, Czech Republic: Hitler Stickers near Jewish Community Center

June 21, 2008.

Stickers featuring a picture of Hitler and the words "Proud to be anticommunist" were found on lamps and walls near the Jewish Community Center in Prague.

Source: focusonisrael.wordpress.com, 06-24-2008

Göttingen (Lower Saxony), Germany: German professor claims Israeli athletes sacrificed themselves in Munich massacre

June 20, 2008.

Professor Arnd Krüger, director of the Institute for Sport Studies in Göttingen, claimed that the 11 Israeli athletes massacred by Palestinian terrorists on September 5 1972 at the Munich Olympic Games knew of the attack in advance but still sacrificed themselves.» Read more.

Volzhsky, Russia: Jewish man attacked and injured

June 19, 2008.

In Volzhsky, Russia, two young men attacked forty year old Jewish male Oleg Polonksy while he was eating in a café. When the men noticed that he had a Star of David key chain, they approached him and asked, "Are you a Jew?" to which he answered in the affirmative and was subsequently beaten savagely. Polonksy was hospitalized for the injuries he sustained in the attack.

Source: Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union, 06-20-2008

Pinneberg, Germany: Jewish community center attacked

June 16, 2008.

On June 16 unknown perpetrators threw a brick through a window of the Jewish community center in Pinneberg. An unidentified person called the Jewish community some hours later, threatening: “The same thing can happen more often. You've got no more peace” and concluding with the Nazi salute “Sieg Heil.”

Source: Pinneberger Tageblatt, 06-17-2008

Pont-sur-Sambre, France: Memorial Tablet Smashed and Slanderous Antisemitic Document Published

June 14, 2008.

At Pont-sur-Sambre, on the night between June 14th and 15th, a monument memorializing the 1944 Liberation was destroyed for the second time in the past three years, and copies of a slanderous antisemitic document were placed on the windshields of a number of vehicles the same weekend reported the French daily newspaper called La Voix du Nord (The Northern Voice). The document, written in French and containing numerous grammatical errors, supports the theory of Jewish influence in the media and in the political and economic spheres, a claim that Nazi sympathizers repeatedly belabor. Investigators have not yet found a connection to the perpetrators of the crime.

Source: The Committee Representing the Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF), 06-17-2008

Warsaw, Poland: Polish Prosecutor probes into allegations of antisemitism against a Catholic priest

June 13, 2008.

Prosecutors in the Polish city of Torun decided not to charge Roman Catholic priest Tadeusz Rydzyk for antisemitic comments due to a lack of evidence. According to a prosecutor’s statement, Rydzyk’s comments “did not contain elements prohibited by the law.” Polish law prohibits the public incitement of racial hatred, such as antisemitism.» Read more.

Tyumen, Russia: Academic uses blood libel as part of state-sponsored education program

June 12, 2008.

A professor at a Tyumen University in Russia asserted her belief that Jews ritually murder Christian children and use their blood to bake matzo, an accusation reminiscent of medieval times. Worse, Professor Svetlana Shestakovaya's lecture was part of the state-sponsored educational program "Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture" which has been introduced in Russian schools throughout the country, sometimes as a part of the compulsory curriculum.» Read more.

Berlin (Wilmersdorf), Germany: “Stumbling stones” graffitied

June 11, 2008.

During the night between June 10th and 11th, unknown perpetrators graffitied 29 of the so called “stumbling stones” with white paint. The stones had been paved into the ground in order to remember the former Jewish inhabitants of Wilmersdorf, a district of Berlin, who became victims of National Socialism.

Source: Tagesspiegel, 06-12-2008

Kiev, Ukraine: New extremist group threatens violence against Jews and immigrants

June 11, 2008.

An group called the Union of Young Orthodox Ukrainians made antisemitic and racist threats at a press conference in Kiev. On June 11, the group held a press conference during which they stated that "Ukrianians have the right to any action in defense against the kike occupation and immigrants." The group's charter calls for "cleansing from Ukrainian television screens" all "Rabinoviches"- an obvious reference to Jews - and demands a struggle against unspecified forces that supposedly aim to "destroy the Ukrainian culture, religion and nation."

Source: Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union, 06-12-2008

Paris, France: Desecration of Tablet Memorializing Jewish Children who died in Nazi Camps

June 10, 2008.

On the night between June 10th and 11th, a monument memorializing 90 Jewish children sent to Nazi death camps during World War II, whose ages range from 14 days to 6 years, was desecrated. The memorial was also damaged by being struck with a hammer at Léon Serpollet Square in the 18th Arrondissement in Paris.

Source: The Committee Representing the Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF), 06-18-2008

State of Saxony, Germany: Success for the right-wing extremist National Democratic Party

June 08, 2008.

After the municipal elections in the state of Saxony on June 8, the right-wing extremist National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD) now has representatives in every county council in the east German state. The NPD received 5.1 percent of the votes (160,000 votes) out of the state of 2.9 million voters. Thus the NPD managed to quadruple its total from 2004 (41,000).

In the small town of Reinhardtsdorf-Schöna, the NPD received 25.2 percent of the vote.

Source: Spiegel Online, 06-09-2008

Klagenfurt, Austria: Fans of the German national soccer team shout Nazi slogans

June 06, 2008.

Supporters of the German national soccer team shouted Nazi slogans during Germany’s European Championship match against Poland on June 6.

According to the Austrian police about 60 German fans were detained at first after they began shouting slogans such as “All Poles must wear a yellow star.” Soon after a second group of approximately 40 supporters was taken into custody after they began shouting similar slogans, among them: “Germans protect yourselves. Don’t buy anything from the Poles” – an allusion to slogans during the Nazi era, when Germans and Austrians were told to boycott Jewish stores.

Sources: Tageszeitung, 06-10-2008; ynetnews.com, 06-10-2008

Belower Wald (Brandenburg), Germany: Memorial site vandalized

June 05, 2008.

On the night of June 04/05, unidentified perpetrators, most likely right-wing extremists, vandalized the gate and a flower tub in the Belower Wald memorial which commemorates the prisoners of the concentration camp Sachsenhausen who died in death marches in April 1945. The memorial site was nearly destroyed in September 2002 by an arson attack. Gunther Morsch, who is in charge of the memorial sites in Brandenburg, said “the new attack on the museum worries us greatly”.

Sources: Focus online, 06-05-2008, dw-world.de, 06-06-2008

Berlin, Germany: A group called „National Socialists For Israel“ launched website

June 04, 2008.

A group of German neo-Nazis, which calls itself “National Socialists For Israel” launched its website in “support” of Israel. The website claims that Israel’s right to exist is anchored in the principles of social Darwinism, the same principles that are important in National Socialistic ideology.» Read more.

Nizhny Novgorod, Russia: Vandalism in Jewish Cemetery

June 03, 2008.

Thirteen Jewish gravestones were vandalized by unknown perpetrators in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. The cemetery is located in the city's Leninsky district. The police are still investigating further.

Source: Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union, 06-03-2008

Mannheim, Germany: Jewish professor attacked

June 03, 2008.

An Israeli visiting professor at the University of Mannheim was beaten and kicked by two adolescents in the open street. The unknown perpetrators attacked the professor without prior provocation. The visiting professor had to be hospitalized. The police are investigating the incident.

Source: Allgemeiner Studierendenausschuss der Universität Mannheim, 06-11-2008

Dzherzhinsk, Russia: Arson Attack on Dzherzhinsk Synagogue

June 02, 2008.

Antisemitic graffiti was painted on the walls of a synagogue in Dzherzhinsk, Russia (Nizhny Novgorod region) before attempts were made to burn it down according to a June 2, 2008 report by the Nizhny Novgorod Telegraphic Agency. Someone threw a Molotov cocktail at the building's window. Luckily the bottle did not break the glass and the fire was confined to the outside of the building. No injuries were reported. Police are investigating the incident.

Source: Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union, 06-02-2008