A/HRC/43/48/Add.1 backgrounds, including those who are not religious or are in a minority in terms of their sexual orientation or gender identity, were also reported. (d) Antisemitism 52. Tackling antisemitism for the more than 29,800 58 Dutch Jews was declared a national priority with US$ 3.35 million earmarked in May 2019 for combating the phenomenon.59 In November 2018, the Netherlands endorsed the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism. Around 20 per cent of Dutch Jews are members of Jewish organizations and an estimated 30 per cent of synagogues in the Netherlands are used for religious purposes. Two primary and two secondary schools serve the community. 53. Antisemitic attitudes in the Netherlands emanate from the political far-left, far-right and from Islamic extremist groups.60 Members of the DENK political party have reportedly promoted harmful stereotypes about Jewish persons, including the notion that Jews control Dutch politics. 61 The number and intensity of antisemitic incidents have correlated with escalations in Israeli military operations. The primary antisemitism monitor in the Netherlands, the Center for Information and Documentation Israel, has documented a timeline of incidents it deems antisemitic during recent Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions and pro-Palestinian protests in Dam Square, Amsterdam. Soccer fans, some of whom sing antisemitic chants at teams such as Amsterdam’s Ajax who refer to themselves as “the Jews”, vandalized buildings and a statue with swastikas and antisemitic texts before a match in February 2019.62 54. The police and three government ministries are responsible for Jewish community relations, antisemitism policy and monitoring. The Center for Information and Documentation Israel noted a 19 per cent increase in antisemitic incidents in 2018, its highest recorded number since 2014. 63 The police recorded a steady decrease from 428 incidents in 2015 to 275 in 2018, 64 and reports to anti-discrimination bureaux were significantly lower. Online antisemitism is experienced by a wider audience than offline incidents. Twenty-five per cent of Meldpunt Internet Discriminatie’s 583 online discrimination cases involved antisemitism. 65 The Center for Information and Documentation Israel registered 95 cases of online antisemitism, including on social media, forums and websites.66 55. The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights found that the Netherlands had one of the highest reporting rates (about 25 per cent of incidents reported in the European Union), but only of the most serious type of antisemitic incidents. While 77 per cent of those surveyed by the Agency knew where to report discrimination, 67 underreporting is understood to be significant. Despite some reparation efforts after the Second World War, many individuals the Special Rapporteur interviewed remain sceptical about the willingness in Dutch institutions to tackle antisemitism, often highlighting police 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 14 See https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra_uploads/fra-2019-young-jewish-europeans_en.pdf. Cnaan Liphshiz, “The Netherlands makes fighting antisemitism a national priority”, Jerusalem Post, 1 June 2019. Annemarike Stremmelaar and Leo Lucassen, Antisemitism and Immigration in Western Europe Today: Is there a connection? (Berlin and London, Foundation EVZ and Pears Institute for the study of Antisemitism, 2018). United States Department of State, “2018 report on international religious freedom: the Netherlands”; www.cidi.nl/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MonitorAntisemitischeIncidenten2018.pdf. Associated Press, “Vandals paint swastikas on buildings in Amsterdam”, 22 February 2019. Centrum informatie en documentatie Israel, “Netherlands: monitor anti-Semitic incidents 2018, summary report”, March 2019. United States Department of State, “2018 report on international religious freedom: the Netherlands”. See www.discriminatie.nl/files/2019-04/landelijke-rapportage-discriminatiecijfers-2018-216.4.2019.pdf; statistics submitted by Meldpunt Internet Discriminatie to the Special Rapporteur. See www.discriminatie.nl/files/2019-04/landelijke-rapportage-discriminatiecijfers-2018-216.4.2019.pdf. European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Experiences and perceptions of antisemitism: second survey on discrimination and hate crime against Jews in the EU (Luxembourg, Publications Office of the European Union, 2018).