55% of Europeans view antisemitism as a national problem – poll

More than half of Europeans (55%) view antisemitism as a problem in their respective countries, according to a poll released by the European Commission last week on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The Eurobarometer survey is based on interviews with 26,000 people in the European Union.

Anti-Jewish and anti-Israel incidents have soared across European countries since the Hamas Oct. 7 terror attack in southern Israel. The poll revealed that nearly half of those surveyed (47%) agree that antisemitism has increased in the past five years. Furthermore, 7 in 10 Europeans believe the conflict between Israel and its Middle East neighbors impacts how Jews are perceived in European countries today.

While antisemitism is viewed as a global problem, perceptions vary by country. France topped the European list, with 74% of respondents saying antisemitism is a problem, followed closely by Italy (73%) and Sweden (73%). France also ranked highest in perceived risk of physical attacks against Jews, at 90%, followed by Italy at 81% and Germany at 74%. France is home to Western Europe’s largest Jewish and Muslim communities.

About 62% of respondents said threats against Jews in public spaces are a problem, while 61% cited vandalism of Jewish institutions and antisemitic graffiti, and another 61% recognized the danger of antisemitic hatred online.

Around half of the European respondents (48%) said they believe that the level of Holocaust education provided in schools is sufficient. Some 50% of the respondents also revealed that they were unaware of legal measures that prohibit Holocaust denial.

Because of its past Nazi history, Germany has taken strong measures to combat antisemitism, becoming the first European nation to outlaw the slogan “From the river to the sea,” classifying it as antisemitic because it calls for the destruction of Israel.

Last September, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed to fight antisemitism during the reopening of a historic Reichenbach Synagogue in Munich.

“We are declaring war on every form of old and new antisemitism in Germany,” Merz announced. “We will not tolerate antisemitism even when it is disguised under the pretense of freedom, of art, of culture, or of science.”

Last month, the home of Andreas Büttner, Germany’s commissioner for Combating Antisemitism, was set ablaze and marked with Hamas red triangle symbols.