Greece: 70% of Greeks think Israel is comparable to the Nazis

Via Independent Balkan News Agency (h/t glykosymoritis):

The research findings on the “prejudice of the Holocaust and Anti-Semitism in Greece”, were presented on Thursday at the British embassy, with the main conclusion the “alarming rise of anti-Semitism and perceptions about the Holocaust, among the Greek public opinion”.

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The survey was conducted in January 2015 under the auspices of the University of Thessaloniki and co embassies of Britain, Canada and Romania, while the presentation was done under the auspices of the British Presidency of the International Alliance for Holocaust commemoration (IHRA).

The survey aims to answer two main questions: 1. What the Greeks know about the Holocaust and 2. taboo subject: how antisemites are the Greeks, said the research associate of the survey professor at the University of Macedonia Nikos Marantzidis – who spoke through skype in the workshop – adding that we are interest to influence through education the younger generation, to change things and not stay only in reflection, thinking how shocking are the findings.

To the question “What comes first to mind with the word Holocaust”, around 50% chose the option “Auschwitz”, while the rest chose “Distomo, Zalogo, Arkadi”, coming from the Greek history. In addition, to the question, what history issue must be included in compulsory education among the Asia Minor Catastrophe, the Civil War, the Pontian Genocide and the Holocaust, the Holocaust gathered smaller percentages.

When asked if Israel does to the Palestinians that the Germans did to the Jews during the Second World War, 70% of respondents answered positively, although there were four other answer options.

Via Ekathimerini (h/t Glykosymoritis):

A large number of Greeks have limited awareness of the Holocaust or even hold anti-Semitic views, according to a new survey which traces the roots of attitudes to a strong sense of victimization among the public.

The same study found that prejudice or hatred against the Jews cuts across the country’s left-right political spectrum, which is similarly attributed to the fact that victimhood, the idea that Greeks have suffered without full responsibility for their misfortune, is a universal trait of the country’s political culture.

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“The Holocaust... is perceived as something that does not belong to Greek history and thus its teaching becomes less pivotal in public education,” experts said.