Antisemitism Watch

Armed Attack at Ohio Fair Injures Bystanders; German Far-Right Surges Amid Rising Antisemitism
Australian Antisemitism Inquiry Criticized for Conflating Issues; Candidate's Rhetoric Sparks Concern
British Student Targeted for Holocaust Education Work; Online Hate Operator Remains Active

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Antisemitism Watch

Antisemitism Watch is a daily monitoring and analysis program tracking antisemitism worldwide — incidents, rhetoric, policy, and institutional responses — r

📝 Transcript

You're listening to Antisemitism Watch, I'm Rachel Adler.

We begin with a disturbing incident of direct physical confrontation. Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton was the target of an attack by an armed individual at the Canfield Fair on Sunday. According to the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office, the assailant, identified as 38-year-old Patrick Havas, pushed through a crowd in a tent where Acton was speaking, injuring multiple people. Authorities later found two handguns and brass knuckles in Havas's possession. Acton's campaign stated she was unharmed and condemned the violence, with her opponent stressing that candidates should meet voters without fear of threats or violence, as reported by JTA.

In Europe, judicial action is underway in response to concerning antisemitic incidents. TheJ.ca reported on September 1st that legal measures are being taken concerning antisemitic threats in France, and separately, an ambulance was the target of arson in London. Details on the specific outcomes of these judicial actions were not provided in the reports reviewed for this episode.

Meanwhile, in Germany, the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, party has raised significant alarms. The AfD achieved its strongest-ever regional result in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, securing nearly 44 percent of the vote, according to the JTA. Germany's domestic intelligence service classifies the party as right-wing extremist. Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, expressed deep alarm, telling WELT that he fears the party's influence on education policy could permanently alter the nation's commitment to confronting antisemitism. Israeli Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor told the Funke Media Group that it's alarming a party whose leaders have called Berlin's Holocaust Memorial a 'monument of shame' achieved such gains. The American Jewish Committee notes the AfD often employs 'camouflaged antisemitic ideas' and has neo-Nazi undertones, according to reporting reviewed for this episode. Antisemitic incidents in Germany saw a substantial rise, from 4,886 in 2023 to 8,725 in 2025, with 68 percent of German Jews reporting feeling less safe since October 7th, 2023, as detailed in reports analyzed for this episode.

In Canadian politics, a candidate for Windsor city council has drawn significant concern over her rhetoric. Video footage shared online by the X/Twitter account Leviathan shows Rasha Zaid, a pro-Palestinian activist, stating at a demonstration, 'Every person that announces they are a Zionist must be locked up! They are terrorists.' She also reportedly led chants calling Zionists 'racists' and 'terrorists.' Social media posts attributed to Zaid allegedly claim antisemitism and attacks are staged and deny the existence of antisemitism. In a statement to The Jerusalem Post, Zaid stated her opposition is directed at actions and crimes, not at identity, and that selective quotes misrepresent her position. However, Michael Teper, president of several Jewish organizations in Canada, told The Jerusalem Post he sees this as part of a pattern of candidates targeting supporters of Israel, expressing concern about the organized Jewish community's response. Campaign materials confirm Zaid is running for Ward 4 in Windsor.

In Australia, a major inquiry into antisemitism is facing strong criticism. The Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, established in January 2026, is being called a 'predetermined exercise' by the article reviewed for this episode. The commission, with a reported cost of 130 million Australian dollars, is accused of aiming to mainstream anti-Palestinian racism and genocide denial by conflating antisemitism with anti-Zionism. Although the commission adopted the IHRA working definition of antisemitism, critics allege it allowed witnesses to vilify the Palestinian cause while denying testimony to Palestinian and Jewish anti-Zionist groups. The commission is expected to deliver its report in December 2026.

On a British university campus, a non-Jewish student was allegedly targeted and labeled a 'Mossad agent' due to her work promoting Holocaust education. Reports reviewed indicate this incident underscores the ongoing issue of antisemitism among young people in higher education.

The persistent challenge of online antisemitism was highlighted by the Combat Antisemitism Movement, or CAM. Their Antisemitism Research Center documented the scale and severity of an online operator's activity, noting the individual returned to platforms within a day of being banned and continued their activity, demonstrating the ongoing difficulty in combating such extremism online.

I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for joining Antisemitism Watch.

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This report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details with primary sources.

📚 Sources

Sources:
- JTA: https://www.jta.org/2026/09/07/politics/armed-attacker-arrested-after-lunging-at-ohio-jewish-gubernatorial-candidate-amy-acton
- thej.ca: https://thej.ca/2026/09/07/ontario-tribunal-awards-7000-to-former-tmu-teaching-assistant-in-case-involving-disputed-anti-jewish-prayer/
- ynetnews.com: https://www.ynetnews.com/jewish-world/article/skgcl00nufl
- jpost.com: https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-907865
- worldisraelnews.com: https://worldisraelnews.com/rapaport-brands-macklemore-a-clown-over-free-palestine-rant/
- combatantisemitism.org: https://combatantisemitism.org/studies-reports/after-x-ban-antisemitic-operator-returns-within-a-day-and-keeps-getting-paid/
- jns.org: https://www.jns.org/jns-tv/judeacation/the-palestinian-authoritys-own-words-expose-its-support-for-terror
- i24news.tv: https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/analysis-opinion/artc-climate-is-different-at-upcoming-rnc-as-israel-becomes-a-political-hot-potato-analysis
- mondoweiss.net: https://mondoweiss.net/2026/09/inside-the-australian-royal-commission-turning-anti-zionism-into-a-crime/
- Algemeiner: https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/09/07/far-right-afd-partys-german-election-victory-alarms-jewish-community-israeli-leaders/
- jpost.com: https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-907414
- europeaninterest.eu: https://www.europeaninterest.eu/afds-electoral-victory-in-saxony-anhalt-raised-concern-among-jewish-communities-worldwide/
- jns.org: https://www.jns.org/opinion/column/fiamma-nirenstein/germanys-dangerous-erosion-of-memory