German Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged strong action against antisemitism, stating that it is more widespread than imagined.

In her weekly podcast yesterday, she said that "antisemitism is more pervasive than we imagine and that we must act intensively against it," according to Israeli media.

The German leader, speaking days before Holocaust Memorial Day, responded to worries previously voiced by the head of the Central Council of Jews, Josef Schuster, that many asylum seekers "come from cultures where hatred of Jews and intolerance are deeply ingrained."

She said that "we must be specifically careful with young people who come from countries where hatred of Israel and Jews is widespread".

Antisemitism had been seen in a number of schools and meeting places for youth, she said. "We must also encourage students who do not think that way and enable them to make it possible for them to clearly say this is not the way it should be."

It should be clear that "antisemitism has no place in our society."