Almost 1 in 5 young French people think Jews leaving country would be good, CRIF finds

Almost 1 in 5 young people in France think it would be a good thing if Jews left the country, according to a recently commissioned survey by CRIF (the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France) and carried out by Ipsos.

The survey – named “The French View of antisemitism and the Situation of French Jews in 2024” – was published for the first time in weekly magazine Le Point on Thursday.

“There has been an upheaval in the types of French people who express anti-Jewish opinions,” Brice Teinturier, deputy CEO of Ipsos, told Le Point.

“It’s a historical reversal of the political map,” added Brice Teinturier. “LFI [far Left La France Insoumise Party] is now competing with the far Right for leadership in antisemitism.”

Views of Jews in France

Among the key revelations are that 12% of the general population in France believe Jews leaving the country is a good thing, compared to 6% in 2020. As mentioned, 17% of under-35s believe this would be a good thing.

“It is very violent, and contrary to the historical trend,” said president of CRIF Jonathan Arfi. “Young people are more receptive to antisemitic, Islamist, and conspiracy theories, which are invading social networks.”

Only 53% of French people between the ages of 18-24 felt that Jews were integrated into French society.However, 68% of respondents felt they had positive or very positive relations with Jewish people, whereas only 55% felt they had positive relations with Muslims.

One question asked what the reactions would be to seeing certain types of people on the street. Most respondents were indifferent to seeing men in traditional Jewish garb, and Jews wearing a kippah. Only 5% of people said they felt nervous seeing this.

Some 40% felt nervous or annoyed seeing people wearing a keffiyeh, and 3/4 had adverse reactions to seeing women in a full burka.

Views on antisemitism

In terms of harbored prejudices against Jews, a majority of respondents felt Jews were more attached to Israel than to France.

The next highest-held anti-Jewish stereotypes were: Jews have very powerful lobbies that operate at high levels; Jews use the Holocaust to achieve their interests; Jews are richer than the average French person; and Jews are too present in the banking sector.

Less commonly held stereotypes included that Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus, Jews had too much power, and Jews controlled the media.

When asked if they agreed with 16 different antisemitic opinions on Jews, 27% of respondents agreed with 3-5 of them.

There were 46% or respondents who held six or more antisemitic opinions – an increase from 37% in 2020.

ONLY 3% of French people held none of the listed stereotypes.

Regarding demographics, the age bracket with the highest antisemitic views was 25-34. In general, the people who held such views had a lower level of education.

Politically, 55% of those holding such views were supported by those from La France Insoumise.

In positive terms, 89% of respondents said there was no excuse for antisemitic words or actions, and 85% said that Jews are French just like anyone else.

Some 79% said antisemitism was widespread in France, and only 2% felt it wasn’t. Also, 70% felt antisemitism was increasing.

There was a general understanding among respondents that if Jews left to go to Israel or other countries, it was because of rising antisemitism (63%).

Interestingly, 16% felt that Jews were responsible for rising antisemitism.

Nearly a third, 30%, felt too much importance was given to Holocaust remembrance. This as seen highest among those voting LFI.

“LFI has given antisemitism a political legitimacy,” Jonathan Arfi told Le Point.

“We observe this toxic porosity between criticism of Israel and the ostracizing of French Jews. The Palestinian cause becomes a license to hate,” he said.

Another key finding was that, in general, more people had a positive view of Israel than of Palestine, with 21% viewing Israel positively, as opposed to 18% for Palestine.

While the majority of people (75%) viewed Israelis positively, only 26% viewed the Israeli government positively. Slightly over a majority, 51%, viewed the state of Israel negatively.

A strong number, 88% of those who voted for LFI, felt the state of Israel was aggressive.

Of those who were aware of the BDS movement, 62% felt it was in place as a way of damaging the image of Israel. Only 38% felt it was legitimate.

More people held sympathy for Israel (47%) over Palestine (40%) in the conflict. Two-thirds viewed Hamas as a terrorist organization.

Among LFI voters, 25% expressed sympathy for Hamas.

Three-fourths (75%) felt the war in Israel-Gaza was responsible for the rise in antisemitism in France. CRIF is set to hold its 14th convention on Sunday in the presence of Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, former Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.