Article published in Le Parisien on September 28

French daily Le Parisien published a front-page article entitled “Antisemitism on Campus – a Troubling Survey” (“Antisémitisme à l’université - Le sondage qui inquiète”) It follows an IFOP investigation commissioned by the Union of Jewish Students of France (UEJF).

Richard Odier, president of the European office of the Wiesenthal Centre, commented, “this survey paints a revealing portrait of the current situation in most French universities. It is time to open a serious public debate on the risks represented by a populist and hateful political discourse that banalizes antisemitism... and the long-term consequences on the so-called ‘living well together’ – which should be one of the main objectives of the French republic.”

Excerpts:

- “According to the survey, 91% of Jewish university students say they have been victims of an antisemitic act. And now fear the radical left more than the far right.”

- “Dragons [manga characters hungry for power and money] serve as aliases to designate (without naming them) Jews... We now find them on campuses or on student forums, the latest avatars of an antisemitism which finds always new forms to prosper.”

- “Hatred of Israel, with which the Jews of France are too often automatically associated, is undoubtedly the most powerful driving force of antisemitism today.”

- “There are few serious incidents fortunately, but a background noise maintained by stereotypes from all sides. And that the Soral-Dieudonné couple [the Centre has often denounced ‘comedian’ and antisemitic polemist Dieudonné M'Bala M'Bala, as well as extreme-right blogger Alain Soral], each in their own register, helped to rebroadcast it among young people.”

- “The rise in far-left hate speech is one of the most spectacular elements of the survey: the Jewish students surveyed say they fear ‘far-left acts and violence’ much more (83%) than that coming from the extreme right (63%).”

- “Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the major figure of the left, has chosen to avoid responsibility in fighting against this scourge, undoubtedly for electoral reasons.”

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