This project will address the problem of anti-Semitic hate speech in Poland. Since 2015, there has been a political and media smear campaign against a series of social groups, including refugees or for instance LGBT+ people, and each smear campaign of this kind is accompanied by an increase in aggression towards Jews. The 2020 presidential campaign, for instance, featured elements of anti-Semitism. Approximately 10% of all prejudice-motivated crimes reported (2013-2017) were hate crimes against Jews. In recent years, the percentage of hate-related acts reported on the Zgłoś nienawiść/Report Hate portal that were anti-Semitic in nature was as high as 20%. The response on the part of the government and the justice system to the problem of anti-Semitism in Poland is insufficient, and law enforcement agencies do not have the skills to recognize a reported incident as anti-Semitic.

Under the project, the Project Promoter will devise, working with experts, a definition of anti-Semitism in the Polish context. It will also produce a guide with examples of anti-Semitic crimes. This information will be disseminated at workshops for public prosecutors and local authorities (approximately 60 people). The Project Promoter will monitor incidents of an anti-Semitic nature and hate speech on its Zgłoś nienawiść/Report Hate portal and report them to the public prosecutor or police. The Project Promoter will also conduct strategic litigation using selected cases of failed protective measures with respect to anti-Semitic hate crime to change law enforcement practices. The outcome of the litigation will be presented in a report.

The measures envisaged under the project will be useful to public prosecutors and local government authorities, as they will increase their awareness of anti-Semitic crimes. The institutional problems with anti-Semitism countermeasures will be publicized and discussed. The project is intended to improve the sense of safety of Jewish people in Poland.