As I’m sure you are all aware: The end of a good conference does not mean the end of the work – quite the opposite.

 I think we have had an inspiring conference. This is partly due to the excellent participants, speakers and panellists. I want to extend my sincere thanks to all of you, not least for the long and arduous journeys some of you have made.

 But the success of this conference was of course also due to the excellent organisation and substantive preparations of our colleagues from the working units involved. Thank you very much for your efforts!

 Ladies and gentlemen, antisemitism knows no borders. Despite stirring up hatred against so-called globalists, it is itself a globalised ideology. That is why it must be fought on a global scale. And this is already happening.

 We have seen today that both the American and German governments – acting independently, but at similar times – have presented strategies to combat antisemitism.

 With the Internet, antisemitism has now found its preferred medium. Digital content has the potential to have a far greater impact than anything in the analogue world:

 Content can be published in a matter of seconds and is visible to an unspecified number of addressees for an unspecified period of time; if the content goes ‘viral’, it is almost impossible to remove.

 And antisemitism is not limited to a single digital platform. It is present not only on two or three ‘mainstream platforms’, but can be found across a wide range of digital content, for example on pseudo-journalistic platforms, in blog posts and on online marketplaces.

 Action is being taken against this type of content, too. With the DSA, the EU has a powerful instrument for platform regulation. I’m confident that it provides for a reliable legal basis to support us in the fight against antisemitism.

 In Germany, the regional media bodies – alongside the criminal prosecution authorities – play a key role in dealing with individual cases of unlawful content. They can order service providers to delete material that incites hatred or denies the Holocaust. As we have seen, new technologies – and AI in particular – can be extremely helpful in detecting such content.

 Yet to combat antisemitism we will of course also need the help of civil society. NGOs make an essential contribution in terms of awareness-raising, education, advice, reporting of unlawful content, support for those affected and identification of shortcomings.

 Antisemitism is a societal phenomenon that transcends borders, which means it can only be fought with a cross-border approach and by society as a whole.

 By organising this conference together with the Simon Wiesenthal Center, we wanted to contribute to the fight against antisemitism by providing better networking, a greater level of intensity and higher visibility. 

 We all know that this is a long and difficult fight. The 7th of October 2023 and the consequences of that day have shown once again how indispensable this fight is: Not only to protect Jews around the world – although that is reason enough. No, antisemitism is a threat to anyone who wants to live in peace and liberty; it is a threat to liberal democracy, of which the state of Israel is such a shining example.

 And I am delighted to see so many committed and competent people here who are standing up to this threat.

 Thank you!