PARIS, Jan. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As
antisemitism in France continues
to spiral, Jews and the general population in France agree on the magnitude of the problem,
according to a new American Jewish Committee (AJC) Paris survey of perceptions of and experiences
with antisemitism in France.
But alignment on the antisemitism threat to French society, and
the government's weak responsiveness, does not mitigate the fears
of Jews about their safety and future in France.
Nearly three-quarters, 73%, of the French public, and 72% of
Jews, consider antisemitism a problem that affects all of French
society. 47% of the general public and 67% of the Jewish
respondents say the level of antisemitism in France is high, while 27% and 22%,
respectively, say it is low.
While 53% of the general public say antisemitism has been
increasing, and 18% decreasing, in recent years, 77% of Jews say it
has increased and 12% decreased.
"Antisemitism has become a concern for French society as a
whole," said Anne-Sophie Sebban-Bécache, Director of AJC
Paris. "It is not considered anymore as only the concern of
Jews. We are not as alone as we could have felt in the past to
fight this scourge."
The extent of antisemitic attacks on France's Jewish community, the largest in
Europe, is stunning.
The AJC Paris survey found that 70 percent of French Jews say
they have been victims of at least one antisemitic incident in
their lifetime, 64% have suffered anti-Semitic verbal abuse at
least once, and 23% have been targets of physical violence on at
least one occasion, with 10 percent saying they were attacked
several times.
The continued spiraling of antisemitism in France has led significant percentages of the
Jewish population to take protective actions. More than one-third,
37%, refrain from using visible Jewish symbols, 25% avoid revealing
their Jewish identity in the workplace, and 52% have considered
leaving France.
Overall, 44% of the Jewish sample say the situation for French
Jews is worse than a year ago, only 11% say it is better and 42% no
better or worse.
The youngest Jews, ages 18-24, are on the "front line" more than
older cohorts in confronting antisemitism. 84% of them have
suffered at last one antisemitic act, compared with 70% of all
respondents; 79 percent had suffered verbal abuse, compared with
64% of all respondents; and 39% faced an act of physical
aggression, compared with 23% of the full Jewish sample.
Visibly religious French Jews feel the most vulnerable, with 74%
of them saying they had been a victim of at least one act of verbal
abuse, compared with 64% of the full Jewish sample.
The main locations where antisemitic incidents occur the most
are in the street and school. 55% said they had been insulted or
threatened on the street, and 59% said they had suffered physical
abuse in the school.
54% were victims of verbal abuse, and 26% had been victims of
antisemitic violence in schools.
But equally disturbing is the finding that 46% said they had
suffered anti-Semitic verbal abuse in the workplace.
Regarding the responsiveness of elected officials, Jews and the
general public agree. Only 47% of Jews and 48% of the general
public have confidence in the President of France tackling antisemitism, 46% of Jews and
41% of the public in the French government, and 58% of Jews and 56%
of the public in local elected officials.
French Jews have no respite from antisemitism. "This has to
stop," Sebban-Bécache declared. "The fight against antisemitism
must be a national priority which has the adequate means to cover
all of France."
The AJC Paris study was conducted by IFOP, a leading polling
firm, in partnership with Fondapol, a major French think tank. They
polled 505 French Jews and 1027 French people between October 14 and November 19, 2019.
https://www.ajc.org/news/ajc-paris-survey-french-jews-non-jews-agree-on-scope-of-antisemitism
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SOURCE American Jewish Committee