France Records 51,816 Anti-Semitic Incidents in 2019

A new online tool is being used to measure anti-Semitism on social media in France an organization for French Jews has revealed. In 2019, 51,816 incidents were picked up by the device. Of the anti-Semitic posts recorded, the majority (52%) referred to anti-Semitic stereotypes and conspiracy theories. Anti-Jewish and anti-Israel hatred featured in over two-thirds of posts (38% and 39% respectively). Some 13% of posters denied the Holocaust. In a media interview, the organization said the tool helped “to have a more complete picture of anti-Semitism in France,” adding that “it was necessary to identify, quantify and qualify the hateful content present on the internet.” In Jan. 2020, a survey by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) found that a staggering 70% of French Jews say they have been victims of anti-Semitism, 59% suffered physical abuse in school and 46% suffered verbal abuse at work. More than 8 out of 10 young French Jews have suffered at least one anti-Semitic incident, and 39% have been the victims of physical violence. Attempting to avoid anti-Semitic attacks, more than a third of French Jews refrain from wearing Jewish symbols in public, and a quarter avoids revealing their Jewish identity at work. Some 52% of French Jews have considered leaving France while Israel has seen several large waves of Aliyah of French Jews in recent years. Between the years 2000 and 2017, 10 percent of the French Jewish community, the largest in Europe, immigrated to Israel. (VFI News)

Pray according to scripture for the Jewish community in France: “Plead my cause, O Lord, with those who strive with me.  Fight against those who fight against me.”  Ps 35: 1