Anti-semitism on the rise in Europe?

There have been recent press reports about an unreleased report on anti-semitism in Europe claiming it is on the rise. I'm not sure it every went away.

On that note, you may have been on the receiving end of a rant from me about lazy thinking with regard to the state of Israel. In particular, I always strongly and rigorously anyone who uses comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany. This kind of comparison is not only intellectually lazy, it is dangerous ground that puts you in the anti-semite, nationalist camp.

The simplest way to demolish this kind of argument is that, of course, Israel may well be doing horrible things but there is no systematic attempt to wipe out an entire race of people. But it's the thinking behind such statements that is truly scary.

During a recent discussion on Plastic, someone mentioned this great article from a Dutch anti-racist organisation. It's a fantastic piece that goes through some of the key pieces of lazily argued beliefs that are commonly held by otherwise sensitive, anti-racist left-wing people. Well worth a read!

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