Back out in the open, Europe鈥檚 anti-Semitism kindles new response
| Paris
As dusk fell over Paris last Tuesday evening, some 20,000 people gathered around the iconic statue of 鈥淟a R茅publique,鈥� floodlit in patriotic red, white, and blue, to demonstrate their disgust at anti-Semitism.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 stand this racist filth anymore,鈥� said Florent Nicoud, a bearded young filmmaker. 鈥淚t makes me throw up.鈥�
France has witnessed an especially shocking wave of anti-Semitic incidents this month, including the desecration of Jewish graves, which were daubed with swastikas.
Why We Wrote This
Public figures harassed and cemeteries defaced in France. MPs in Britain abandoning a party they say is ignoring hatred against Jews. Old libels given new life by the far right. Why is anti-Semitism growing bolder?
But hate crimes against Jewish targets are on the rise across the continent, with increases reported last year in almost every country in Europe. As nationalist and populist movements have grown more powerful and Muslim citizens鈥� grievances against Israel have reinforced centuries-old European prejudices, anti-Semitic rhetoric is becoming more open.
鈥淥ur country, like Europe as a whole and almost all Western democracies, is facing a resurgence of anti-Semitism not seen since the Second World War,鈥� French President Emmanuel Macron told the annual dinner of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions (CRIF) on Wednesday.
But how Europe should go about combating this trend is by no means clear. Despite the age and familiarity of the problem 鈥� or perhaps because of it 鈥� there are no quick solutions.
鈥淎nti-Semitism is a consequence of much deeper divisions and trends in society,鈥� says Dave Rich, head of policy for the Community Security Trust (CST), a British group that monitors anti-Semitism. 鈥淗igh levels of anti-Semitism will continue as long as society and politics are as divided and confrontational as they are now. So those deeper problems need to be addressed.鈥�
A growing problem
鈥淭he new challenge in dealing with anti-Semitism is the same as the old one,鈥� says Sigmount K枚nigsberg, the Berlin Jewish community鈥檚 anti-Semitism commissioner. 鈥淎nti-Semitism has to be banned and made unacceptable.鈥�
But anti-Semitism is growing increasingly acceptable in certain European quarters. 鈥淧eople who have these views are feeling more confident to express them,鈥� says Mr. Rich. He blames social media and the 鈥済eneral deterioration in the tone and nature of public debate.鈥� But he also holds political leaders responsible for creating a mood more tolerant of anti-Semitism.
Nine members of Parliament quit Britain's opposition Labour Party this week, citing anti-Semitism as one of their main reasons. Luciana Berger, a Jewish MP who needed a police escort when she attended the last Labour Party annual conference after receiving death threats, said the party was 鈥渋nstitutionally anti-Semitic.鈥�
鈥淭he more people see anti-Semitism within the Labour Party and its leadership, the more they think it鈥檚 acceptable,鈥� worries Rich. 鈥淚t鈥檚 normalized, because these are not fringe cranks; they鈥檙e leaders of the Labour Party.鈥� 聽
Political leaders on the far right routinely denigrate Jews and downplay their suffering. Alexander Gauland, co-leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, recently described Adolf Hitler and the Nazi era as a 鈥渟peck of bird droppings in over 1,000 years of successful German history.鈥�
A senator for the Five Star movement, a partner in Italy鈥檚 ruling coalition, was put under investigation earlier this month for promoting claims there is a Jewish plot to take over the world, citing the notorious forgery 鈥淭he Protocols of the Elders of Zion.鈥�
In a Swiss trend that the Alpine nation shares with other European countries, anti-racist activists have noted increasing numbers of hate messages on the internet. 鈥淚nhibitions are slowly disappearing and more and more agitators are acting openly under their real names,鈥� according to the most recent report by the Swiss Foundation Against Racism and Anti-Semitism, a nongovernmental group.
鈥楢 constant feature of European history鈥�
Historically, spikes in anti-Semitic behavior in Europe have coincided with spikes in violence in the Israel-Palestine conflict, says Marc Knobel, research director at the CRIF. 鈥淧aroxysms of violence are imported from the Middle East to Europe, and Jews are made responsible for actions by the state of Israel,鈥� he explains.
Anger at Israel constitutes a major strand in what has become known as 鈥渢he new anti-Semitism鈥� emanating from Muslim communities in Europe. 鈥淏ut the prejudices young Muslims express are no different from the ones you hear from the extreme right,鈥� says Jean-Yves Camus, a specialist in anti-Semitism at the French Institute for International and Security Affairs.
Those prejudices and stereotypes, deeply ingrained in French society, hold that Jews are disproportionately and unfairly richer than other citizens and more politically influential. 鈥淎nti-Semitism has been a constant feature of European history for two millennia,鈥� Mr. Camus points out.
Today, however, anti-Semitic prejudice is surfacing more openly in Europe as populist movements gain momentum on the strength of platforms promoting national identity and hostility to immigrants and other outsiders.
鈥淲e have seen a rise in populist movements, we鈥檝e seen a rise in the appetite for conspiracy theories, and we鈥檝e seen a deterioration of liberal democratic norms in several countries,鈥� points out the CST鈥檚 Rich. 鈥淎nd when those things happen, anti-Semitism finds its place.鈥�
Anti-Semitism is not only a product of clashing, polarizing political divisions; it could deepen them, warn Jewish leaders. 鈥淏eyond being a threat to Jews, anti-Semitism is a warning signal of a weakening of democracy in our country,鈥� suggested Francis Kalifat, CRIF鈥檚 president, in a recent statement.
鈥淲hen you attack Jews, you attack the Republic,鈥� agrees Mr. Knobel. 鈥淭he Republic is threatened by totalitarians who hate democracy and want to bring it down.鈥�
No easy answers
That leads some to seek solutions in civic education. 鈥淲e need to work out a way to encourage young people to see the value of a democratic system,鈥� says Michael Sauer, president of the German Association for Political Education. 鈥淗olocaust education is important, but we also need to empower children so they don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 necessary to discriminate against others.鈥�
鈥淐hildren must be taught to have empathy,鈥� adds Mr. K枚nigsberg. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about teaching the Shoah, but also showing that Jewish life is something normal in Germany.鈥�
Those are long-term approaches, though. In his speech Wednesday, President Macron called for 鈥渄ecisive action,鈥� promising legislation to ensure that messages on the internet promoting anti-Semitism are taken down faster, to make it easier to identify those who post such messages anonymously, and to make platforms such as Facebook legally liable for the content posted.
Camus would like to see sterner action by the police and courts. 鈥淚f you knew that being an active anti-Semite could land you in jail, you鈥檇 think twice before insulting your Jewish neighbor,鈥� he says.
In the meantime, however, demonstrations also help 鈥� some. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if this changes much, but at least we can say 鈥榃e鈥檙e here; you are not alone,鈥� 鈥� said Mr. Nicoud, the filmmaker, as he brandished a placard reading 鈥淭hat鈥檚 Enough鈥� at the Place de la R茅publique last Tuesday.
鈥淲e really value the support 鈥� of other communities,鈥� says Marie van der Zyl, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews. 鈥淭hese things really matter. There is good in humanity; I don鈥檛 want to lose sight of that.鈥�
鈥� Clifford Coonan in Berlin, Kristen Chick in London, and Dominique Soguel in Basel, Switzerland, contributed reporting to this article.
