U.S. to form agency against Islamophobia, antisemitism
'Antisemitism has no place in America. All Americans should forcefully reject antisemitism'
U.S. President Joe Biden is forming an inter-agency group meant to combat antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of bias and discrimination, Washington said Monday.
The agency comes amid a surge of nationwide antisemitism, an issue that has been widely followed in recent weeks after former U.S. president Donald Trump hosted disgraced rapper Kanye West and Holocaust denier Nik Fuentes at his Mar-a-Lago residence. West has drawn widespread criticism for a series of antisemitic remarks, leading to his suspension from Twitter and being dropped by big-name brands such as Adidas and Balenciaga.
"Antisemitism has no place in America. All Americans should forcefully reject antisemitism – including Holocaust denial – wherever it exists,” the White House statement added.
It noted that Biden tasked the agency group to develop a “national strategy” to counter antisemitism in a way that raises understanding about the form of bias and the threat it poses to the Jewish community “and all Americans.”
The strategy will also “address antisemitic harassment and abuse both online and offline, seek to prevent antisemitic attacks and incidents, and encourage whole-of-society efforts to counter antisemitism and build a more inclusive nation.”
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Last year saw the largest number of antisemitic incidents, including murder, physical assaults, harassment, and vandalism, since the Anti-Defamation League began collecting records 40 years ago.
According to data released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Monday, more than 7,200 hate crimes were reported in 2021 in the United States. Over 60 percent of the reported incidents were based on race, ancestry, or ethnicity, while one in seven were classified as religion-bias crimes.
Those numbers were low compared to 2020, which saw a two-decade high of reported incidents. However, the FBI noted that the figures excluded totals from more than one-third of America’s law enforcement agencies due to the implementation of a new data reporting system.
The FBI did not immediately respond to an i24NEWS request for comment.