Which EU countries are seeing the most antisemitic incidents?

More than half of Europeans consider antisemitism a problem in their country, according to new data from Eurobarometer.

French, Italian and Swedish citizens are the most likely to label it a significant problem, while those in Estonia, Finland and Latvia are the least likely.

Across countries, women, urban residents, belonging to a minority group, and those with higher education are more likely to perceive antisemitism as an issue.

Having Jewish friends or acquaintances is also associated with higher recognition of antisemitism (67%), compared to those without such connections (52%).

War appears to be a driving factor: nearly seven in 10 Europeans believe conflicts in the Middle East influence the perception of Jewish people in their country.

“Hate speech, notably antisemitism and Holocaust denial, has reached levels not seen since World War II,” said UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany in a recent report on antisemitism in schools.

Additionally, almost half of Europeans believe antisemitism has increased in their country over the past five years, especially in the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark.

Conversely, only 9% of of respondents believe that antisemitism has decreased, mainly in Malta, Romania, and Poland.

How are EU citizens spotting the signs?

Over a third of EU citizens consider all forms of antisemitism to be a problem in their country, representing an increase of 10 percentage points compared with 2018.

Hostility in public spaces, antisemitic graffiti, and online antisemitism are the most frequently cited forms.

Expressions of hostility and threats towards Jewish people in the street or other public places are seen as a problem predominantly among respondents in France, Italy, and the Netherlands.

Individuals between 15 and 24 years of age are more aware of antisemitism on the internet compared to those aged 55 or above.

This is “likely due to a generational gap of exposure”, the Eurobarometer report states.

Widespread in schools

Antisemitism is also present in EU schools, with more than three-quarters of surveyed teachers in 23 member states having encountered antisemitic incidents in their classrooms, according to the UNESCO study.

Some 61% of surveyed teachers reported encountering Holocaust denial and distortion among their students, and 42% of them reported having encountered other teachers being antisemitic.

Almost half of the teachers encountered students doing Nazi gestures, drawing or wearing Nazi symbols.

Despite this, 70% of teachers reported that they had received no professional training on how to recognise and address contemporary antisemitism.

“Most teachers have never received specific training to confront this reality, including the consequences related to AI development,” said El-Enany.

Less than a third had participated in training courses about antisemitism offered by specialist organisations from outside their school.