Exclusively reported in the La Parisienne, Ynet, and Yedioth Ahronoth, a new 900-page report on antisemitism in France reveals a somber reality for French Jewry. Displaying ignorance about the Holocaust and Israel, the younger generation adopts antisemitic stances and supports those of French Muslims against the Jews.
Pro-Palestinian students block political science institute
The most disturbing finding from the research conducted by the AJC (American Jewish Committee) in France is that 61% of French Jews have been victims of actual antisemitic acts, on the pretext that they are "responsible or complicit in the policies of the Israeli government." About 44% hide their Jewish identity in public and about 80% do not file a complaint because they do not believe that the police or the justice system will deal with the issue properly.
Additionally, a quarter of French Jews have been victims of an antisemitic incident since October 7, with 73% of them being threatened and subjected to harassment on social media. About 37% of Jews have sent at least one of their children to a private school because they are concerned for their safety, and 20% have removed the mezuzah from their homes.
Although French law prohibits sampling by ethnic groups, the survey attempts to extract these data anyway by self-identification. According to the findings, 66% of the Muslim population residing in France is antisemitic, and 14% of all French people under age 35 identify with Hamas. More than 50% of young Muslims believe that Jews control the media and politics, and 34% believe that Jews use their status as Holocaust victims as an excuse.
However, the problem is not only with Muslims in France. While half of the French population believes that Jews are the main victims of racism, only 27% of citizens under 25 believe so, and a significant portion of them believe that Israel is a colonial state. About 37% of young people hold antisemitic stances, and some even justify violence against Jews. The survey indicates that the population over 75 is still aware of the Holocaust, but the younger generation is forgetting its existence.
The third group troubling French Jews is the extreme left, with about 92% of Jews believing that Jean-Luc Mélenchon's New Ecologic and Social People's Union (NUPES) coalition contributes to antisemitism, and most Jews said they would leave France if he became president. Frédéric Dabi, director of the IFOP institute that conducted the survey, said that this is 30% more than those concerned about the rise of the extreme right. According to Dabi, the goal was to check how exposed young people in France were to antisemitic ideas.
Simone Rodan-Benzaquen, director of the European AJC, emphasizes that there is a huge spike in the number of Jews experiencing antisemitic incidents. About 47% of them know the people who attacked them. She also said the word 'Zionist' is often considered an insult and a third of the French believe that the main reason for the rise in antisemitism is hatred of Israel.
However, there is also a glimmer of hope. About 76% of the French acknowledge the problem and recognize that antisemitism exists in France. This is a 12% increase from last year. Some 67% of French citizens believe that antisemitism is a problem for the entire French society, not just for Jews. In addition, the attack on October 7 strengthened the Jewish identity of 73% of French Jews.