A/HRC/56/68/Add.1 California’s Increasing Safety for Public Transit Riders Bill and Protecting Customers’ Civil Rights at Businesses Bill. R. Antisemitism 63. The Special Rapporteur’s visit took place in the aftermath of the escalation of violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories since 7 October 2023. The Special Rapporteur is deeply concerned by reports that such events have been a catalyst for unacceptable rises in antisemitism, including online and offline hate speech, harassment, threats, violence, hostility towards Jewish students in educational settings, vandalism of Jewish property and desecration of places of worship. The Special Rapporteur was saddened to hear from individuals how scared individuals were within the current climate and how some did not feel comfortable expressing their religious identity in public. This escalation of antisemitism is particularly concerning given that it was already at a record high, as reflected in data for 2022 published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation at the end of 2023. According to such data, single-bias anti-Jewish hate crime incidents in 2022 totalled 1,122 in 2022, which was an increase compared to 2021. Assaults, as the most serious form of antisemitism, also increased, according to the data.30 64. Given the corrosive impact of antisemitic hatred on society and democracy and its negative effects on the safety of Jewish communities, the Special Rapporteur commends the establishment of the Inter-agency Policy Committee on Antisemitism, Islamophobia and Related Forms of Bias and Discrimination and its development of the United States National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. S. Islamophobia, anti-Arab racism and anti-Palestinian racism 65. Federal Bureau of Investigation data for 2022 indicated that there were 158 incidents of anti-Muslim religious hatred, which was a similar level to 2021. The Special Rapporteur is deeply concerned by the ways that escalation of violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories since 7 October 2023 has been a catalyst for unacceptable rises in Islamophobia and anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian hate. Incidents reported include hate speech and hate crimes, harassment, employment-based discrimination and bullying, and discrimination in educational settings.31 Communities affected reported that the climate is reminiscent of the anti-Arab hate that characterized the post-9/11 period. Accusations of antisemitism on the basis of legitimate criticism of treatment of Palestinians by Israel are of concern to the Special Rapporteur.32 66. In this context, the Special Rapporteur welcomes the much-needed development by the Inter-agency Policy Committee on Antisemitism, Islamophobia and Related Forms of Bias and Discrimination of a national strategy on Islamophobia. IV. Conclusions and recommendations A. Conclusions 67. The United States sits at a critical juncture in the fight against racial discrimination. On the one hand, issues of racism and racial discrimination have gained increased attention recently. The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and many others, the racially 30 31 32 GE.24-08027 Ibid. Council on American-Islamic Relations, “CAIR received 1,283 complaints over past month, an ‘unprecedented’ increase in complaints of Islamophobia, anti-Arab bias”, 9 November 2023. Council on Academic Freedom, letter to the Chair and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the Center for Security, Race and Rights at Rutgers University-Newark Law School, 29 February 2024, available at https://mesana.org/advocacy/committee-on-academicfreedom/2024/02/29/letter-to-the-chair-and-ranking-member-of-the-senate-judiciary-committeeregarding-the-center-for-security-race-and-rights-at-rutgers-university-newark-law-school. 15