Roundtable on Combating Anti-Semitism: Current Trends and Challenges in the OSCE Region

On 17 March, 2009, a roundtable on combating anti-Semitism: :Current Trends and Challenges in the OSCE Region; took place in Vienna. It was organized by ODIHR OSCE.

There were 3 working sessions.

Working Session I: :Recent Manifestations of anti-Semitism across the OSCE region; was dedicated to two principal questions:

• Physical and verbal attacks against persons and violent attacks targeting places of worship, community property, cemeteries and Holocaust memorial sites (introduced by Mr. Norbert Hinterleitner, ODIHR Adviser on Anti-Semitism Issues);

• Anti-Semitism in the public discourse (introduced by Mr. Miklos Haraszti, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, and Mr. Ronald Eissens, Magenta Foundation).

Working Session II: :Responses from governmental institutions; was dedicated to the problem of juridical classification of hate crimes (including anti-Semitic ones), to the problem of international co-operation in the field of Holocaust education and research.

Working Session III: :Recommendations; was dedicated to creating recommendations to OSCE, OSCE member states and civil society.

You can read the report of the SOVA Center representative here.