The number of anti-Semitic incidents in Austria last year reached its highest level in years, according to a Jewish organisation in Vienna.

IKG or Israelitischen Kultusgemeinde, the Jewish community representative group, reported 465 incidents involving anti-Semitism, an increase of 82 percent from 2014 when there were 255 incidents.

The data was collected by the non-governmental organisation “Forum gegen Antisemitismus” (Forum against anti-Semitism) and presented by the IKG.

IKG President Oskar Deutsch mentioned that the significant increase of anti-Semitic acts can be partly accounted for by a large number of anti-Semitic remarks made online and especially Islamic anti-Semitic remarks.

In 2014, 85 incidents took place online, rising to 205 in 2015.

IKG’s Secretary General Raimund Fastenbauer said “there is an increasing concern in our community that – if the proportion of Muslims in Austria continues to rise due to immigration, due to the refugees – this could become problematic for us.”

Deutsch called for efforts to tackle this with better integration of migrants into Austria.

‘’Jewish life must be protected in Austria,’’ said Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian in a reaction to the report.

“It is the duty of the state to make Jewish people in Austria feel secure, that is for us as Austria a great responsibility,” he said.

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) has urged the European Union and its member states to increase efforts to combat widespread anti-Semitic cyber hate, arguing that anti-Semitism in the region did not show any sign of waning.

Around 15,000 Jews live in Austria.

(Source: EJP)