Antisemitic graffiti in front of the Ministry of Church Affairs causes outrage. On Tuesday morning, Minister of Church Affairs Morten Dahlin (V) was set to attend a press conference to present a new action plan against antisemitism. However, on his way to his office at the Ministry of Church Affairs on Frederiksholms Kanal in central Copenhagen, he was confronted with a striking example of antisemitic graffiti.
On the sidewalk in front of the ministry, a Star of David with a swastika inside was drawn, accompanied by an insult that can best be described as “Nazi Jew.” “It is a very clear antisemitic message and a sign that we once again see anti-Jewish propaganda in the streets of Copenhagen,” Morten Dahlin stated to 365nyt.dk.
In recent days, similar graffiti has been observed in several places in the capital. But it was not until Tuesday that the painting appeared in front of the Ministry of Church Affairs, the same day Dahlin and representatives from all parties in the Danish Parliament presented a strengthened effort against antisemitism. Dahlin, however, hesitated to speculate whether the timing of the graffiti was related to the press conference. “I do not know if it has anything to do with our agreement, but it underscores the importance of our efforts. Unfortunately, antisemitism is a problem in Denmark. Anti-Jewish sentiment is escalating, both on social media and in our streets,” he said, adding, “We need to crack down on this. We do so with this agreement, both by increasing the penalty for hate crimes against Jews and by implementing educational initiatives.”
Copenhagen Police have confirmed to Berlingske that they are aware of the increasing occurrence of antisemitic graffiti. “We take these cases very seriously and are reviewing surveillance, among other things, to identify the perpetrators. If a citizen notices someone spray-painting graffiti with antisemitic messages, I encourage them to contact the police immediately at 1-1-4,” stated Chief Police Inspector Peter Dahl in a written response.
On Tuesday, an unanimous Danish Parliament presented a political agreement with 12 initiatives aimed at combating and preventing antisemitism in Denmark. Among these measures are special geographical areas with harsher penalties for hate crimes that can be activated if the police assess that an event will lead to an extraordinary increase in hate crimes. Additionally, ten million Danish kroner have been allocated for research into what the government refers to as “the new antisemitism,” which includes hatred directed towards the state of Israel, as well as better educational materials on antisemitism for school teachers.
The agreement comes in the wake of a significant increase in the number of antisemitic incidents following the terrorist attack on Israel on October 7 last year and the subsequent war in Gaza. Last year, 121 antisemitic incidents were reported to the Jewish Community, the highest number since registration began in 2012. According to the Ministry of Justice, from October 7, 2023, to June 13, 2024, the police registered a total of 187 reports and 42 charges of hate crimes against Jews.