A two-day seminar was launched on Tuesday aimed toward elevating consciousness and coaching law enforcement officials on indentifying, investigating and coping with antisemitic behaviours.
The seminar, titled “Antisemitism and Counteraction” takes place on the Police Headquarters in Nicosia and it’s a cooperation between the Cyprus Police and the Embassy of Israel in Cyprus.
Through the seminar, wherein dozens of law enforcement officials take part, a collection of lectures are happening by Israeli lecturers on the historic roots of anti-Semitism in Europe and its manifestations in fashionable society, in addition to on the web, each in Europe and in america.
Israel’s Ambassador to Cyprus, Oren Anolik, in his deal with, stated that antisemitic tendencies have been strengthening lately, and that, 2021 was the worst yr of the final decade in recording anti-Semitic behaviour in Europe.
The reply to this new wave of hatred and intolerance is information, he stated, including that by studying the historic roots of anti-Semitism, we are able to perceive the phenomenon immediately.
He careworn the significance of the alternate of concepts to lift consciousness about such behaviours and distorted beliefs, in an effort to deal extra successfully with such phenomena, and underlined the worth of the efforts made by Cyprus on this route.
The Ambassador made a particular reference, to the contribution of Cyprus’ Schooling Ministry to preserving the reminiscence of the Holocaust, and thanked the Minister of Justice, the Cyprus Police and the Overseas Ministry that supported the organisation of the seminar.
In her personal deal with, Justice Minister Stephie Dracos, careworn that each one sorts of racism and discrimination have to be handled instantly and successfully in an effort to stop the resurgence of painful experiences of the previous.
The aim of the seminar, she added, is to lift consciousness among the many members of the Cyprus Police, in an effort to establish, examine and produce to justice circumstances of anti-Semitism.
She additionally reminded that in December 2020 the Council of Ministers adopted the Worldwide Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism, whereas in January 2022, it adopted the working definition of Holocaust Denial and Distortion.
Cyprus Police Chief, Stylianos Papatheodorou, careworn the necessity to protect the historic reminiscence of the Holocaust, so as to not see the repetition of comparable heinous actions. He added that anti-Semitism appears to be on the rise in Europe and referred to an FRA report for 2019, which data that 44% of younger Jews in Europe have suffered no less than one anti-Semitic incident.
Concerning Cyprus, he stated that no anti-Semitic circumstances have been recorded, however that 40 and 41 incidents and / or circumstances of a racist and / or racist motive have been recorded for the years 2019 and 2020, respectively.
Concerning the coaching of members of the safety forces, he stated that till immediately anti-Semitism was a part of the broader framework of instructional programmes on racism and xenophobia and that it’s the first time {that a} specialised programme on anti-Semitism is being performed.
The Police Chief stated that within the context of preventive and repressive measures to keep away from disagreeable incidents associated to anti-Semitism, the Jewish synagogues have been included within the patrol schedules whereas safety measures are additionally being utilized throughout actions by the Israeli Embassy.
He expressed the conviction that the ideas of the audio system would offer meals for thought and increase consciousness on the matter. Aside from the coaching of the police, he added, the change of mentality on the stage of society is especially essential, in an effort to condemn anti-Semitism, fanaticism and any manifestation of racism.
(CNA)