ADL National Director Abraham Foxman
ADL National Director Abraham FoxmanFlash 90

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) expressed “shock and outrage” Monday over Saturday's Cophenhagen attacks which left two dead and five injured.

The League said the shootings against a synagogue and a controversial cartoonist in Denmark “should serve as another wake-up call to all of Europe” to the continued clear and present danger posed by individuals motivated by radical interpretations of Islam.

Killed in the attacks were Dan Uzan, 37, a member of the Copenhagen Jewish community who was guarding a celebration at a Jewish community building near the synagogue, and Finn Nørgaard, a filmmaker.

"We are deeply shocked and outraged by the coordinated terror attacks on a synagogue and an event to promote the exercise of free speech in Denmark," ADL National Director, Abraham Foxman, stated. 

"This latest attack, apparently motivated by anti-Semitism and radical Islamic extremist ideology, is another assault on democracy and free society," he continued. "It should, and indeed it must, serve as another wake-up call to all of Europe."

"What kind of madness is this when a Jewish community cannot celebrate a bat mitzvah without fear of attack?"

"The attacks in Copenhagen are tragic reminders that Islamic extremists target Jews and democratic freedoms together," he added. "As with the recent terror attacks in Paris, once again we see that anti-Semitism is at the core of Islamic extremist ideology."

"This link has not been sufficiently understood throughout Europe, despite the Paris attacks."  

"With Jews in the crosshairs, there is an urgent need for European leaders to act quickly and effectively to ensure their safety," he concluded.  

A recent ADL poll in Denmark found relatively low levels of anti-Semitic attitudes among the general population. Only 9% of adults in Denmark harbor anti-Semitic attitudes, according to the poll - among the lowest in the West and roughly the same percentage found in the US.