UN Chief Warns Against Rising Anti-Semitism

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made his comments at an annual ceremony commemorating the Holocaust. (file photo)

The United Nations secretary-general has warned that anti-Semitism is on the rise, and hatred of Jews is getting worse across the world.

Antonio Guterres made the comments on January 28 at the world body's annual ceremony marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Guterres said that anti-Semitic incidents in the United States increased by 57 percent in 2017 and he said a European Union monitoring agency reported last year that 28 percent of Jews experienced some form of harassment just for being Jewish.

Guterres also warned about attempts to rewrite the history of the Holocaust, during which 6 million Jews and millions from other groups were murdered by Adolf Hitler's forces during World War II.

He said intolerance more broadly was also increasing, and he pointed to attacks and persecution aimed at Muslims in several countries, including Rohingya Muslims in Burma and the Yazidi minority in Iraq, saying they were targeted "simply for who they are."

"Intolerance today spreads at lightning speed across the Internet and social media," Guterres said in a speech before diplomats. "Perhaps most disturbingly, hate is moving into the mainstream -- in liberal democracies and authoritarian systems alike."

International Holocaust Remembrance Day marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp 74 years ago.

Based on reporting by AP