Tuesday, December 9, 2014

France: Jews battle persistent stereotypes


Some 40 percent of supporters of the successful far-right party Front National feel that French people who have Jewish religious beliefs are not as French as other citizens of France. That is the finding of a study carried out by the think tank Fondapol about the new brand of anti-Semitism.

The study also shows how widespread prejudices are. Almost every fifth respondent said Jews had too much political power; every fourth feels that Jews have too much influence in the financial world; and one in ten would decide against having a Jewish boss.

"These stereotypes were and are rooted in France across every milieu," Lux says, adding that it's not a problem just among the extreme right. She says the old stereotypes of the rich, economically powerful Jew, which were already rife in the 19th century, are now being combined with the negative image of Israel held particularly by left-leaning French people, who loudly criticize what they see as a disproportionate offensive by Israel in the Gaza Strip this summer, in which hundreds of people died.

More: DW

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