The European Islamophobia Report of 2023 says Israel’s war on Gaza has “functioned as a geopolitical catalyst of anti-Muslim racism in Europe”, with an increase in hate crimes and a rise in Islamophobic rhetoric and actions by European governments, Al Jazeera reports.

The report, which monitors 34 countries in Europe, said there has been a spike in the number of physical and verbal assaults on Muslims in the wake of the war, including in countries like Norway, Spain and Greece.

Several European governments have also framed pro-Palestine solidarity as terrorism, it said, with countries like Germany, France, and Denmark enforcing restrictive measures, such as banning demonstrations and imposing fines on pro-Palestinian symbols.