The number of anti-Semitic incidents in Austria last year reached its highest level in years, according to a Jewish organisation in Vienna.

IKG or Israelitischen Kultusgemeinde, the Jewish community representative group, reported 465 incidents involving anti-Semitism, an increase of 82 percent from 2014 when there were 255 incidents.

The data was collected by the non-governmental organisation �Forum gegen Antisemitismus� (Forum against anti-Semitism) and presented by the IKG.

IKG President Oskar Deutsch mentioned that the significant increase of anti-Semitic acts can be partly accounted for by a large number of anti-Semitic remarks made online and especially Islamic anti-Semitic remarks.

In 2014, 85 incidents took place online, rising to 205 in 2015.

IKG’s Secretary General Raimund Fastenbauer said “there is an increasing concern in our community that – if the proportion of Muslims in Austria continues to rise due to immigration, due to the refugees – this could become problematic for us.”

Deutsch called for efforts to tackle this with better integration of migrants into Austria.

��Jewish life must be protected in Austria,�� said Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian in a reaction to the report.

�It is the duty of the state to make Jewish people in Austria feel secure, that is for us as Austria a great responsibility,� he said.

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) has urged the European Union and its member states�to increase efforts to combat widespread anti-Semitic cyber hate, arguing that anti-Semitism in the region did not show any sign of waning.

Around 15,000 Jews live in Austria.

(Source: EJP)