Anti-Semitism is still prevalent — and even on the rise — in Europe, according to a new poll.
The CNN/ComRes poll — which surveyed more than 7,000 people in Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Sweden and Great Britain — found that one in 10 respondents said they are not favourable toward Jewish people. The number rose when the poll looked specifically at Hungary (19 per cent) and Poland (15 per cent).
That’s compared to over one-third (36 per cent) of respondents who said they aren’t favourable toward Muslim people.
University of British Columbia history professor Richard Menkis told Global News the rise of anti-Jewish sentiment has been happening for a while.
“From all of the qualitative and impressionistic data, the rise of anti-Semitism in the last while is not a surprise,” Menkis said.
“There are a lot of people in Europe and elsewhere who are feeling that they are losing the power that they traditionally had… They see themselves as victims and they find in the Jews the victimizer.”
One-fifth of Europeans say Jewish people have too much influence on the media compared to other people, and nearly three in 10 respondents (28 per cent) say Jewish people have too much influence in finance and business.
“A lot of these attitudes have existed for a long time,” Menkis said.
Source: Global News
