Ignoring their Nazi past, European leaders use Israeli anti-Semitism forum to scapegoat migrants and Muslims

Austria, a country with a documented role in the Holocaust, is now promoting the claim that anti-Semitism in Europe is largely an imported phenomenon. Speaking at an Israeli government-hosted anti-Semitism conference in Jerusalem, former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz alleged that Europe faces a wave of “newly imported anti-Semitism” driven by migrants and left-wing groups.

The remarks were made during the second annual International Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism, held on International Holocaust Memorial Day and organised by Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry. The event, which took place at the International Convention Centre in Jerusalem, drew government officials, diplomats, religious leaders and political figures, with a notable presence of European nationalist and far-right representatives.

According to Haaretz, Kurz referred to the phenomenon of anti-Semitism as “totally new” and warned of an alliance between Muslim migrants and progressive movements such as “Queers for Palestine”. He previously governed in coalition with Austria’s Freedom Party (FPÖ), a far-right group known for its Nazi origins and controversial history.

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The FPÖ emerged in 1955, initially drawing much of its support from former National Socialists (Nazis) after World War II. Its first leader, Anton Reinthaller, had been a senior officer in the SS, Adolf Hitler’s paramilitary organisation, and other early members were former Nazis.

Kurz’s remarks were echoed by Jimmie Åkesson, leader of the Sweden Democrats, a party founded by neo-Nazis. Åkesson claimed that anti-Semitism was “accepted” in Sweden by the political left and blamed immigrants for promoting hate. However, data shows that anti-Semitic hate crimes are attributed to a range of actors, with far-right groups consistently responsible for a significant portion of incidents.

Hungarian EU Affairs Minister János Bóka described anti-Semitism as stemming from cooperation between “radical political Islam” and the “woke movement”. Belgian MP Sam van Rooy, from Vlaams Belang, a party with fascist roots, claimed Muslims were replacing Jews in cities like Antwerp. Polish MEP Dominik Tarczyński of the Law and Justice party advocated for “zero illegal migrants” entering Europe. 

These positions align with the widely discredited “great replacement” theory, which has been linked to violent white nationalist attacks globally.

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In a video message, Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders claimed a “new Holocaust is in the making” due to what he called rising Islamic anti-Semitism. Wilders pointed to Islamic texts and communities as the source of the threat, though monitoring reports from European bodies highlight far-right movements as a major and consistent driver of anti-Semitic incidents.

President Isaac Herzog used the conference to urge governments to adopt the highly controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism. The IHRA has criticised for conflating anti-Semitism with legitimate criticism of Israeli policies. Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli said “Islamist fanaticism”, which he claimed is influenced by Nazi ideology, is today’s main threat to Jews.

Other speakers included former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who called for stricter regulation of Islamic institutions; Brazilian senator Flávio Bolsonaro, who accused Brazil’s president of anti-Semitism; and U.S. ambassador Mike Huckabee, who described the UN as “the largest anti-Semitic organisation in the world”.

Throughout the event, immigration and Islam were repeatedly framed as core threats to Jewish communities. However, studies by institutions such as the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights continue to identify far-right actors as key sources of anti-Semitic violence.

Jerusalem Post editor Zvika Klein, who moderated a panel featuring far-right European figures, commented, “We need all the allies we can get”. 

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