Antisemitism in France in 2016:
* The number of Antisemitic acts that led to filing a complaint declined from 808 in 2015 to 335 in 2016, a 58-percent decrease.
* Rolling out a plan of stationary protection across France via Operation Sentinelle most probably contributed to this significant and rapid decrease.
Intermediate and long-term effects of government-led plans against racism and Antisemitism
have raised high expectations for reducing the number of still numerous racist and Antisemitic acts.
*Behind the encouraging numbers, we must highlight the reality on the ground that complements our analysis.
– Extreme violence and terrorism that targets Jews in France often overshadows «everyday » Antisemitism. Numerous victims of Antisemitic verbal attacks or light violence no longer file a complaint. They have grown accustomed to a phenomenon that has been trivialized. Antisemitism has reached such extreme proportions that « weak instances» of it are no longer denounced, even though they remain serious and inflict terrible consequences.
– 1 out of 4 racist acts committed in France in 2016 targeted a Jewish person, while Jews represent less than 1 percent of the population.
– For several years, Antisemitic propaganda and speeches have shifted from old media to the Internet. To this day, a thorough census tabulating calls for Antisemitic hate or violence has not yet been conducted.
– Growing Anti-Zionism and hatred of Israel act as screens that hide, remove inhibitions and even legitimize Antisemitism. How is it possible to measure and study a phenomenon that must be fought, if the phenomenon is allowed to conceal itself? How can a crime be condoned by another crime?
