Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard (S) is seeking support from the Danish Parliament’s Finance Committee to allocate an additional 5.6 million Danish kroner to the Jewish Society in 2024. This grant is intended to help employ more security guards at Jewish institutions and ensure their protection. This is stated in a recent proposal from the minister.
The Jewish Society has already received an “unrestricted grant” of seven million kroner this year, and an additional 1.2 million kroner was allocated at the end of 2023. At that time, Peter Hummelgaard stated to Radio4 that it is “completely unacceptable that the situation in the Middle East creates insecurity among Jews in Denmark.” The minister emphasized that “the safety of Danish Jews and the fight against antisemitism are my and the government’s top priority.”
The extra funds are intended to “support security at Jewish institutions” in Denmark, and this can be achieved through the employment of additional guards. The Jewish Society has reported a significant increase in the number of antisemitic incidents following the Hamas attack in Israel on October 7 last year. Between October 7 and November 7, the organization received 80 reports of antisemitic incidents, compared to 30 reports in the first nine months of the year.