Israeli journalist: Europe's extreme right is a greater threat than Muslims to Jews

Via WJC (h/t Honestly Concerned):

Anti-Semitism in Europe is on the rise and rooted in its traditional source, the extreme right-wing, which expresses an outward level of anti-Muslim sentiment and support for Israel to “whitewash” its anti-Jewish leanings, says Israel’s Channel 10 chief international correspondent Nadav Eyal.

Eyal, who is touring the U.S. to discuss his documentary “Hate: Into the Heart of Anti-Semitism” joined the World Jewish Congress at its headquarters in New York on Thursday to speak to members of the Jewish Diplomatic Corps and guests from the Israeli consulate.

“Most of the [recent] attacks stem from young Muslim teenagers, but if you look at the serious incidents, political influence, the bigger problem is the extreme right-wing. We have to remember that the extreme right-wing has had power for a long time and thrives on the coming of the Muslims. They are trying to whitewash themselves of racism by supporting Israel,” Eyal told the WJC forum.

The Israeli journalist spent a good part of the last year traveling to major cities in Europe, meeting with some unlikely sources: neo-Nazis and influential members of far-right movements, including Greece’s Golden Dawn, to take a deeper look at the growth of anti-Semitism on the continent.

For Jews in “certain” parts of Europe, life is becoming increasingly uncomfortable, Eyal said. In many countries, such as France, Jews are reluctant to show any public expression of their Judaism for fear of repercussions. Soldiers still stand outside schools and Jewish institutions, where threats of attacks are very real.  more