Press Release: 96% of Jewish respondents in Europe encountered antisemitism, FRA survey finds
25/07/2024
“Antisemitism is a threat to our societies, and it is everyone’s responsibility to combat, prevent, and eliminate it, when engaging in online and offline spaces”,
– Robin Sclafani, Executive Director of CEJI – A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe.
On July 11, 2024, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) published its third survey on Jewish people’s experiences and perceptions of antisemitism.[1] Conducted from January to June 2023, the survey engaged almost 8,000 Jews aged 16 or over from 13 EU countries.[2] Predating the events of October 7[3], the survey underscores the persistence of antisemitism in Europe and demonstrates the negative effects it has on the well-being of Jewish individuals and communities as well as broader efforts towards social cohesion.
The FRA surveys are particularly important as they offer comprehensive data from the perspective of those most impacted. The data allow for comparisons[4] over time and provide policymakers with crucial insights to help them develop and implement effective, targeted interventions. To maximise impact, CEJI believes a victim-centred perspective[5] is critical in tackling discrimination and hatred.
The report shows that 96% of Jewish respondents encountered antisemitism in the year before the survey. Around half say that they worry about the safety of their family, and over 70% hide their Jewish identity occasionally. In the online space, 90% of respondents encountered antisemitism in the 12 months prior to the survey, with 37% of cases stemming from users, profiles or accounts that include personal information.
Rates of reporting antisemitism to relevant organisations remain very low. About 28% of respondents reported the most recent incident of (online or offline) antisemitic harassment and only about 11% reported discrimination. In addition, most of those who reported online antisemitism (59 %), antisemitic harassment (68 %) or antisemitic violence (78 %) to the police were somewhat or very dissatisfied with how the complaint was handled. Indeed, the main reason for not reporting incidents of antisemitic discrimination (39 %), online antisemitism (48 %), antisemitic violence (61 %) and antisemitic harassment (52 %) is feeling that nothing will happen or change.
CEJI’s Work on antisemitism in Europe
CEJI-A Jewish Contribution to an inclusive Europe is a leading independent Brussels-based anti-discrimination non-governmental organisation, combatting all forms of prejudice and hate to contribute to a democratic and inclusive Europe. Founded in 1991 to facilitate Jewish participation in European affairs, it has since evolved into a trusted partner of public institutions in multiple policy-influencing forums in the fields of education, hate crime, hate speech, anti-racism, antisemitism and intersectional and multiple discrimination. CEJI develops educational programmes that foster diversity and dialogue, undertakes research action to improve policy and practice, trains change agents, and builds networks to multiply impact.
“When looking at antisemitic hate speech, we know that the lack of knowledge about and experience with Judaism and Jewish people makes reliance on stereotypes more likely.”
–Stéphanie Lecesne, Training Director of CEJI.
In collaboration with diverse partners and with the support of the European Commission, CEJI helps to combat antisemitism and foster Jewish life through initiatives including:
- NOA–Networks Overcoming Antisemitism – Launched in 2019, NOA is an innovative effort to develop new public-civil society partnerships and enhance collaboration within the nongovernmental sector to support the European Council’s Declarations on fighting antisemitism and fostering Jewish life on the continent. Five National Report Cards[6] have been produced and showcase the current policy landscape in 10 areas: culture, education, hate crime, hate speech, Holocaust remembrance, intercultural dialogue, media, religious freedom, security, and sport. The FRA survey results are a useful complement to NOA’s undertaking. For more information on the FRA findings for the countries covered by Report Cards, see: Italy (Upcoming countries: Austria, Belgium, Hungary, Netherlands)
- Facing Facts – Facing Facts focuses on combating hate crime and hate speech through training, advocacy, action research, and network collaboration. It is comprised of two main activities: The Facing Facts Network, a multi-stakeholder community of practitioners, and the e-learning platform Facing Facts Online.
- F.A.D.E (Fight against Antisemitism through training anD awareness raising activitiEs) – A European project presented in Rome on 22 November 2023, the purpose of F.A.D.E. is to improve public authorities’ ability to identify, prosecute and fight against episodes of discrimination and antisemitic hatred.
- Relation (Research, Knowledge, and Education Against Antisemitism) – A project funded by the European Union (Citizen, Equality, Rights and Values Programme-CERV) that aims to define an innovative strategy against modern antisemitism, starting from a better knowledge of Jewish history and traditions. It puts into place a set of educational activities in Italy, Spain, Romania and Belgium as well as online actions in order to tackle this phenomenon.
- Diverse CEJI Training Activities – To tackle unconscious biases, CEJI offers a range of trainings and programmes teachers, social workers, and civil servants in Belgium and throughout Europe.
For more information, contact ceji@ceji.org. Subscribe to the CEJI Newsletter to follow news on anti-discrimination news, policies, and events in Europe.
[1] “Jewish People’s Experiences and Perceptions of Antisemitism,” European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Vienna, 2024: https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra_uploads/fra-2024-experiences-perceptions-antisemitism-survey_en.pdf
[2] The participating countries are Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain and Sweden.
[3] Consultations with Jewish communities in January and February 2024 showed that the number of reported antisemitic attacks – including personal harassment, intimidation and violence – increased dramatically across all countries in the survey. See p. 67of the report for more information.
[4] “Experiences and perceptions of antisemitism – Second survey on discrimination and hate crime against Jews in the EU”, European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Vienna, 2024: fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra_uploads/fra-2018-experiences-and-perceptions-of-antisemitism-survey_en.pdf
[5] See the Victim’s Rights Directive: https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/criminal-justice/protecting-victims-rights/victims-rights-eu_en and the Facing Facts Victim- and Outcome-focused Framework: https://www.facingfacts.eu/a-victim-and-outcome-focused-framework-for-improving-recording-and-increasing-reporting/
[6] The first series of NRCs covered Austria, Belgium, Italy, Hungary, and the Netherlands. For more, see: https://www.noa-project.eu/report-cards/
