11/24/2024–|Last updated: 11/24/202411:25 AM (Mecca time)
Yedioth Ahronoth reported the results of an opinion poll published last Friday that showed “worrying levels of anti-Semitism in France,” with 12% of the population and 1 in 5 citizens under the age of 35 saying they “would be happy if Jews left France.”
According to the Israeli newspaper, these percentages were revealed by an opinion poll conducted by the French Jewish Council (the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France) last September.
According to the poll conducted by Ipsos, nearly half of French citizens (46%) agree with at least 6 out of 12 anti-Semitic statements, and of these, 23% believe that “Jews are not French like others,” with younger respondents tending to disagree. Considering the Jews as failures in integration.
The study also revealed that 52% of participants believe that “Jews are more loyal to Israel than France,” while 46% believe that Jews are richer than the average French citizen. Half of them (49%) believe in the influence of the so-called “Jewish lobby” on the political leadership, and 17% say that there are many Jewish synagogues in France.
75% of French citizens expressed positive views of Jews in general, but only 26% of respondents had positive views of the Israeli government, and only 21% viewed Israel favorably, down from 27% in 2020. 40% of French citizens expressed positive opinions of the Palestinians, but not of Hamas.
Only 36% considered Israel to be a democratic state, and the percentage did not exceed 29% among those who believe that Israel wants peace.
Despite the negative results, the study showed some hope, according to the newspaper, as 89% of French citizens agreed that any act or statement cannot justify anti-Semitism.