2004: WORST ANTI-SEMITIC VIOLENCE IN 15 YEARS

Worst Spate of Anti-Semitic Violence in 15 Years (AFP/Yahoo)
The world saw the worst spate of anti-Semitic violence in 15 years in 2004, said a report by the Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Contemporary Anti-Semitism and Racism at Tel Aviv University. According to its statistics, there were 480 "major violent incidents" and 20 "major attacks" in 2004, compared to 360 and 30, respectively, in 2003. "A steep rise in numbers of serious incidents...was recorded in France, the UK, and Canada, where large populations of immigrants from Muslim states can be found," it said. Researchers said the main factor inciting anti-Jewish violence was "virulent anti-Israeli propaganda and anti-Americanism accompanied by anti-Semitic motifs."