According to a survey published on Thursday by French daily Le Parisien, 91% of Jewish students in Franche claim to have already been victims of anti-Semitic acts or remarks at university.
77% of them claim that anti-Semitism is widespread at university.
According to the survey conducted by Ifop for the Union of Jewish students in France (UEJF), revealed that more than nine out of ten Jewish students (91%) claim to have already been victims of anti-Semitic acts or remarks in class, during associative life or at parties.
This spectacular figure is particularly marked by stereotypical remarks about Jews: 89% of students surveyed said they had already been subjected to such remarks. Jokes” about the Holocaust or Jews are still very common (80%).
7% of Jewish students physically assaulted
And it goes even further. Nearly one in two Jewish students (45%) say they have already suffered an anti-Semitic insult. Acts of aggression are also rare. Attacks (physical aggression, verbal threats) relating to Israel were noted by 43% of them. What’s more, 7% claim to have been physically attacked for anti-Semitic reasons, according to the survey.
These elements lead Jewish students to one conclusion: according to them, hatred of Israel (91%) and anti-Semitism (77%) are widespread in French universities and higher schools. A perception not shared by students as a whole. Again according to the survey, only 28% of students believe that hatred of Israel and anti-Semitism are phenomena present on the benches of French universities and grandes écoles. On the other hand, all agree that racism (67% for Jewish students, 56% for all students), sexism (59% vs. 63%) and homophobia (54% vs. 56%) are widespread.
Another finding of the survey is that the extreme left worries Jewish students in universities more than the extreme right. 83% of them believe that “extreme left-wing acts and violence represent a major threat to Jewish students in universities”. This figure drops to 63% for the far right. “This confirms […] a historic break in the perception of the threat felt by French Jews”, analyses Frédéric Dabi, Ifop’s Director of Opinion, in the columns of Le Parisien. “Before, Jean-Marie Le Pen was the source of concern. Today, it’s Jean-Luc Mélenchon.”