Anti-semitism in Europe appears to be getting worse, according to the findings of a new survey released on Monday.
The survey, which involved more than 16,000 Jews aged 16 and over living in 12 EU member states, showed that 89 per cent of respondents felt anti-semitism was growing in their country over the five years previous and that 89 per cent feel it is particularly problematic online. About 70 per cent cited public spaces, the media and politics as common sources of anti-semitism.
Of the 12 countries included in the survey, France topped the table of nations where the most respondents – 65 per cent – felt anti-semitism to be “very big problem” followed by Germany and Belgium (43 per cent), and Poland (39 per cent). Denmark scored lowest on this scale with just 14 per cent. And even higher percentage of French people surveyed – 77 per cent – felt anti-semitism had “increased a lot” over the past five years.
The survey also found that 28 per cent of respondents said they have been harassed at least once during the previous five years, those most visibly Jewish the most affected, and that 79 per cent said they do not report serious incidents to police or any other body often because they feel nothing will change.
“The survey findings suggest that people face so much anti-semitic abuse that some of the incidents they experience appear trivial to them,” said the report on the survey. “But any anti-semitic incident is at its core an attack on a person’s dignity and cannot be brushed away as a mere inconvenience.”
More than a third of respondants said they avoid taking part in Jewish events or visiting Jewish sites because of fears for their safety and insecurity. Some 38 pr cent said they had considered emigrating. Seven in 10 did not believe their government was effectively combatting anti-semitism in their country.
The survey is the second of its kind undertaken by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights. Michael O’Flaherty, director of the FRA, said it showed that decades after the Holocaust, “shocking and mounting levels of antisemitism continue to plague the EU”.
“Member states must take note and step up their efforts to prevent and combat antisemitism,” he said in a statement. “Jewish people have a right to live freely, without hate and without fear for their safety.”
The survey was conducted between May and June and follows a similar survey in 2013.
