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Anti-Semitism 'on the rise'
17/07/2007 20:54 - (SA)
Ben Hubbard
Jerusalem - Anti-Semitic feeling in Europe is growing, with half of respondents in a new survey believing that Jews are more loyal to Israel than to the countries where they live.
A third said Jews have too much influence in business and finance, according to a report released on Tuesday by the Anti-Defamation League.
The report - based on polling in six European countries - found a general increase in negative attitudes toward Jews since a similar survey in 2005.
Launching the latest findings from interviews with 500 adults each in Austria, Belgium, Britain, Hungary, the Netherlands and Switzerland , ADL director Abraham Foxman, the ADL's National Director said that the data showed the persistence of anti-Jewish stereotypes in those countries, despite efforts by individual governments and by the European Union.
"These attitudes die hard and help incite and legitimize anti-Semitic acts, including violence against Jews," Foxman told a press conference in Jerusalem.
He called the questioning of Jewish loyalty "the most distressing, disturbing, frightening issue", as it was liable to fuel anti-Semitic incidents.
According to the survey, an overall 49.7% of respondents said it was "probably true" that Jews are more loyal to Israel than to their home countries, compared to an average of 38.2% in 2005.
A breakdown of the results showed that view was most widely held in Austria and Belgium, where 54% of those polled agreed, compared to Switzerland, with 44%.
Too much financial clout
Other questions showed wider differences between countries. Sixty percent of respondents in Hungary said it is "probably true" that Jews have too much power in the business world, while only 11% in the Netherlands held the same view.
An average of 34.5% across the six countries agreed that Jews have too much financial and business clout, compared to 26.7% two years ago.
Forty-three percent of the total respondents in the latest survey said Jews talk too much about the Holocaust.
The survey, conducted by Taylor Nelson Sofres between May 29 and Jun 18, 2007, had a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.
Asked about recent initiatives to boycott Israel by academic and journalists' unions in Britain, 43% of respondents there said they opposed such attempts, while 37% favoured them.
- AP
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