“In recent weeks, right-wing radicals have increasingly tried to leverage the coronavirus crisis for their own ends,” he continued.
Antisemitism has been on the rise in Germany in recent years. There were 1,799 antisemitic offences recorded in 2018, a 20 per cent rise on 2017.
Last October, a gunman tried to storm a synagogue filled with worshippers in the city of Halle.
The new research project into the issue of antisemitism, funded with €12m (£10.6m), will involve several German universities and will aim to better understand the causes and manifestations of antisemitism.
Education and Research Minister Anja Karliczek said of it: “We want to tackle antisemitism with science.”
