Antisemitism in Czech Republic surges over 400% since 2020, European human rights report finds

OCTOBER 28, 2026 18:50Updated: OCTOBER 28, 2026 19:01A new human rights monitoring report published has formally confirmed a massive, unprecedented surge in antisemitism across Czechia following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023.The evaluation was conducted by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, an independent human rights monitoring body of the Council of Europe specializing in questions relating to racism, intolerance, and discrimination across the continent’s member states.The report covers the findings of its seventh monitoring cycle for Czechia, drawing on a country visit conducted in November 2025 and documentary analysis up to March 2026. The Council of Europe is an international human rights organization comprising 46 member states, while its anti-racism commission evaluates the situation in each country approximately every five years to issue policy proposals and recommendations.According to the report, hatred targeting Jewish individuals and Ukrainians represents a stark shift from the commission’s previous monitoring cycle in 2019, when neither group experienced such elevated degrees of hate.While hostile rhetoric against Muslims has dropped below previously recorded levels, general xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment persist in public discourse, though the Vietnamese community in Czechia remains largely untouched by such public hostility.photos of hostages in Prague (credit: sivanrahavmeir.com)Citing data compiled by the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic, the report notes that antisemitic incidents climbed sharply from 874 cases in 2020 and 1,128 in 2021 to 2,277 in 2022.That figure surged to 4,328 in 2023 and reached 4,694 in 2024. The report highlights the significant escalation of incidents after the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks.The vast majority of these incidents involved online hate speech, frequently holding the local Jewish community collectively responsible for actions of the Israeli government. Additionally, cases of Holocaust denial and distortion rose by 47% in 2024 as compared to the previous year.Antisemitic assaults, attacks on Jewish property rise sharply in Czech RepublicPhysical violence remained relatively rare, with two antisemitic attacks recorded between 2020 and 2023. However, four cases of physical assault against individuals perceived to be Jewish were documented in 2024 within the context of the Middle East conflict, alongside 12 recorded cases of attacks and desecration targeting Jewish property.Targeted incidents directed against specific persons, properties, or institutions jumped from 24 total in 2022 to 32 in the brief period following October 7 through the end of 2023, culminating in 118 targeted incidents during 2024.The commission highlighted a severe new dimension of hate crime involving an attempted arson attack on a synagogue in the city of Brno in January 2024, where an explosive device failed to detonate.Subsequent international investigations led to the arrests of five individuals aged 13 to 18 who had been radicalized online and promoted jihadist terrorism. Two of the suspects were charged with inciting hatred and attempting a terrorist attack targeting Jewish people and property.Czech Republic adopts new strategy to combat antisemitism, protect minority rightsThe report also outlined broader human rights challenges evaluated within the country, including ongoing issues of de facto segregation and bullying affecting Roma children in schools, systemic obstacles faced by Roma in housing and healthcare, and persistent hate speech targeting LGBT+ individuals and Ukrainian refugees.To address these issues, the commission’s report called on Czech authorities to implement targeted anti-bullying strategies in schools, ensure adequate numbers of Roma teaching assistants and healthcare mediators, improve school guidance methodologies, eliminate discrimination in the private housing market, and broaden the strategic state security approach to hate crimes to include dedicated victim support.The report noted positive steps taken by the government since the previous evaluation, including the creation of the Office of the Government Commissioner for Roma Minority Affairs in 2022 and the adoption of the Strategy for Combating Antisemitism in the Czech Republic for 2025-2030 by government resolution in October 2025.Developed to align with European Union guidelines, the strategy establishes objectives to ensure Jewish community safety, combat antisemitic hatred, and enhance Holocaust education while formally incorporating the working definition of antisemitism established by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which the Czech Parliament adopted in January 2019.Follow us on Google