A 15-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of stabbing a Jewish man in the Swiss city of Zurich.
Police suspect antisemitism as a motive for the attack on Saturday night, which comes amid a rise in similar incidents across Europe.
The Swiss Organisation Of Jewish Communities said the 50-year-old victim is in hospital with serious injuries.
“Physical attacks on Jewish people in Switzerland are very rare,” the group said.
“The Jewish community has been spared from such life-threatening attacks for the past two decades.
“However, there has been a significant increase in such physical attacks since 7 October.”
The war between Israel and Hamas began on 7 October last year when the militant group stormed across southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and seizing around 250 hostages.
Nearly five months later, an estimated 30,000 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds of thousands more are on the brink of famine in Gaza.
In the UK in February, the Community Security Trust said the number of antisemitic incidents reached an all-time high last year.
The charity recorded 4,103 antisemitic incidents in the UK in 2023, up from the previous annual record of 2,261 two years earlier.
It blamed the record on the “sheer volume of antisemitism perpetrated across the UK following Hamas’ attack on Israel on 7 October”.
It’s shocking and disheartening to hear about such a heinous act. Antisemitism has no place in our society, and it’s essential to hold the perpetrator accountable for their actions.
It’s important to remember that this was an isolated incident and should not be used to generalize about all young people. Let’s not jump to conclusions and instead focus on promoting understanding and compassion.
According to the article, the boy was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon. The victim is currently in stable condition.
I wonder if there are any underlying factors that led to this boy’s actions. It’s too easy to simply condemn him without trying to understand the root causes.
This is outrageous and unacceptable! A 15-year-old boy should not be capable of such hatred and violence. We need to do more to educate our youth about tolerance and respect.
Oh, the irony! A 15-year-old boy arrested for antisemitism. Perhaps we should teach him about the horrors of the Holocaust in school?
Well, at least we can be thankful that the perpetrator was caught before he could cause any more harm. Let’s give him a pat on the back for that!
I can’t help but wonder if the boy was just trying to impress his friends with a ‘cool’ knife. Kids these days, am I right?