We are witnessing and experiencing an unprecedented global explosion of antisemitism. Canada is one looking glass, but whether you look from Melbourne to Montreal or from Berlin to Berkeley, the trend is clear. There is an unprecedented global explosion of antisemitism, not only in terms of the incidents of antisemitism, but also because of the nature of the antisemitism itself.

The dramatic rise in antisemitic hate crimes and the intensification of sundry antisemitic hate speech – along with their convergence – underpins this unprecedented explosion. This comes against the backdrop of an international inflection moment that coincides with it – the intensification of what I call the “axis of authoritarianism,” consisting of Russia, China, and particularly Iran. These powers are working collaboratively, strategically, and in concert, incorporating the weaponization of antisemitism as part of their broader strategy of disinformation and misinformation. They contribute to the “antisemitic ecosystem,” now anchored within the axis of authoritarianism.

At the same time, we see an upending of the transnational Atlantic alliance. The United States, which was once the linchpin of the global rules-based order, is now itself destabilizing that order. We are witnessing, on the one hand, the upending of the community of democracies and an intensification of the axis of authoritarianism on the other. Antisemitism feeds off this larger ecosystem, and these dynamics are underpinning the unprecedented explosion of antisemitism.

This crisis escalated in the aftermath of October 7. It is sometimes forgotten that the unspeakable mass atrocities of that day, including mass murder, rape, mutilation, forcible abduction of hostages, and the execution of hostages in captivity, were not only perpetrated by Hamas as a terrorist organization under international law, but by an antisemitic, genocidal terrorist organization. This is not because I say so, but because Hamas itself affirmed it in its 1988 Charter and repeatedly since. Under international law and the Genocide Convention, incitement to genocide is a standalone breach of that convention, regardless of whether mass atrocities follow. In this case, genocidal atrocities directly followed genocidal incitement on October 7.

And it did not end there. On October 8, another antisemitic, genocidal terrorist group, Hizballah, joined in. Before long, seven fronts, each of them antisemitic, were acting in concert, led by the Iranian regime, which continues to receive a pass because attention remains focused on its proxies rather than the regime itself. When taken together, these forces create a critical mass of antisemitism that underpins this unprecedented explosion.

And the worst part of it? One would have thought that such unspeakable mass atrocities, carried out by a genocidal antisemitic organization that, after October 7, openly declared its intention to commit October 7 “again and again” until Israel’s annihilation, would have resulted in global condemnation and global action against antisemitism, against these genocidal antisemitic proxies, and against Iran, the head of the campaign. Instead, rather than being diplomatically isolated, Iranian diplomats and leaders continue to be received in Davos and elsewhere, chair United Nations (UN) human rights groups, and enjoy a disturbing level of international legitimacy.

I first coined the term “genocidal antisemitism” at the beginning of the 21st century, when Ayatollah Khamenei declared that there could be no resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict without the annihilation of the Jewish state (without even resorting to the euphemism of “Zionist regime”). That genocidal incitement by the Iranian regime has continued, unchallenged and without accountability. Thus, we have not only an explosion of antisemitism but also a culture of impunity that allows it to flourish. The coming together of these dynamics is the most disturbing.

Even before October 7, however, the embers of antisemitism were burning, but we were not paying attention. In 2021, at the end of my first year as Canada’s Special Envoy on Combatting Antisemitism, a role with a global mandate, I reported that the most disturbing finding was not just that we already had the highest levels of antisemitic incidents, hate crimes, and incendiary hate speech (all of which have since exploded) since reporting began in the 1970s, but that we were witnessing the normalization, mainstreaming, and legitimization of antisemitism in politics, culture, entertainment, sports, media, and particularly campus life.

Worse of all was an absence of outrage; a prevailing indifference and inaction to the rise in antisemitism prior to October 7. This reminded me of the words of my mentor, Elie Wiesel, who often said that indifference and inaction always mean siding with the antisemites, not with their targets and victims.

At this point, our responsibility is clear: we need a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach to combatting antisemitism, with concrete actions taken country by country and internationally. We can no longer continue with complacency, indifference, and inaction because this leads to impunity, and impunity leads to an absence of accountability.

What is at stake here, and what continues to not be sufficiently appreciated, is recognizing this is not only a threat to the safety and security of Jewish communities, which should be reason enough to protect a vulnerable minority that is targeted by the longest, most enduring, most toxic, and most lethal of hatreds, but also the security of democracies themselves. It is a standing threat to the safety and security of citizens within those democracies because this metastasizing antisemitism is now evolving into antisemitic terror, and the next terrorist attack, possibly another mass atrocity terror attack, is just stalking around the corner.

Democracies must preemptively act to hold antisemites accountable and combat the normalization and mainstreaming of antisemitism across all cultural spheres. This is an urgent historical moment that demands equally urgent action domestically in each country, among the community of democratic nations, and at the highest levels internationally.

This brings us to the United Nations. As we approach the 80th anniversary of the UN Charter – a document intended to uphold human dignity, which birthed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and which spoke in its preamble of unspeakable atrocities that shock the conscience of humankind – we must confront the reality that antisemitism has not been eradicated. October 7 were the unspeakable atrocities that should have shocked the conscience of humankind, but did not. The explosion of antisemitism in the wake of October 7 should have shocked the conscience of humankind, but did not.

So, as we approach the 80th anniversary of the UN Charter and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, we are at a historical inflection point, with these two historical dates linked to the present by antisemitism. Auschwitz, the worst extermination camp of the 20th century, saw 1.3 million people deported there, 1.1 million of whom were Jews. Jews were murdered at Auschwitz because of antisemitism.

But antisemitism did not die at Auschwitz. It remains the bloodied canary in the mineshaft of global hatred and violence. And history has taught us, time and again, that while antisemitism begins with Jews, it never ends with Jews.

As we mark the 80th anniversary of the UN Charter, I recall the words of a former UN Secretary-General, who told me when I was Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada: “A United Nations that does not put the combatting of antisemitism at the forefront of its agenda is a United Nations that has betrayed its past and forfeited its future.”

This is the historical moment that the UN faces today. As a longtime supporter of the UN and its institutions like the International Criminal Court, I regrettably say that instead of leading the fight against antisemitism, the UN has often provided cover for it. Under the protective shield of international law, human rights advocacy, and anti-racism efforts, antisemitism has been laundered and, worse, weaponized.

International law is being weaponized to single out one member state – Israel, the Jew among the nations – in the international community for selective opprobrium and indictment.

This is not to say that Israel, like any other state, should not be held accountable for human rights and humanitarian law violations. The Jewish people and the State of Israel do not enjoy any particular privilege or preference because of the horrors of the Holocaust. No one should seek that Israel be above the law. But as the UN Charter proclaims, Israel is entitled to equality before the law and deserves equal respect. It must not be subjected to a different standard or singled out for disproportionate condemnation, but standards must be applied equally.

Human rights standards must be applied equally. The selective targeting of Israel, mirroring historic patterns of antisemitism, is itself a manifestation of contemporary antisemitism. This fuels a culture of impunity, allowing antisemitism to flourish unchecked.

At this inflection point, the international community must recognize that combating antisemitism is not just about protecting Jewish communities. It is a fundamental necessity for preserving democratic values and global security. The time to act is now.

Irwin Cotler is former Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada