Germany - the spread of anti-Semitism

2023-11-04 08:25:04, Kosova & Bota CNA

Robert Habeck, Green politician, Minister of Economy and Vice-Chancellor, drew public attention with a video on social networks. In a ten-minute speech, he warns of the rise of anti-Semitism in Germany - among Islamists, the extreme right, but also in "parts of the political left", as Habeck put it.

He said that criticism of Israel is allowed and that defending the rights of Palestinians in Germany is not prohibited. But, as he says, violence against Jews must not exist in any form. Anti-Semitism cannot be tolerated in any form. In none", he said.

Every other German was worried

And it wasn't just Habeck who noted that anti-Semitism is on the rise in Germany. In the monthly survey of public opinion "Deutschlandtrend", which is conducted by the institute dimap Infratest at the request of the First Public Service Program ARD, about 52 percent of citizens notice the same thing. At the same time, four out of ten respondents say they see no increase in anti-Semitism.

Robert Habeck

Four years ago, after the attack on the synagogue in Halle, about 59 percent of citizens thought that anti-Semitism was increasing, while 35 percent expressed the opinion that there was no such increase.

How is the Israeli reaction evaluated?

Respondents in Germany are concerned about the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack and its aftermath. Three quarters (74 percent) of them say that these events affect them a lot or very much. Israel wants to completely destroy Hamas in Gaza with airstrikes and a ground offensive. The Islamic militant organization Hamas does not recognize the state of Israel and wants, according to its claims, to destroy Israel. Germany, the European Union, the United States and several Arab countries classify Hamas as a terrorist organization.

When asked if they think the military response to terrorist attacks is appropriate, 35 percent of respondents think Israel's military response is appropriate, eight percent think military action does not go far enough, while 41 percent think that Israel went too far in its military response. In the opinion of a large number of Germans, it is important to spare civilians as much as possible.

Israel's military actions against Hamas, according to the opinion of only 25 percent of the respondents, are justified even when they kill civilians, while 61 percent of the respondents have the opposite opinion.

Who is responsible for the situation in Gaza?

Eight out of ten respondents (81 percent) are concerned about the fate of hostages taken by Hamas. Two-thirds (65 percent) are concerned about the state of the Israeli civilian population, and seven in ten (72 percent) are concerned about the situation of the Palestinians. At the same time, eight out of ten survey participants (78 percent) fear the spread of conflict in the Middle East region.

Humanitarian organizations report that the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza is in a catastrophic situation. According to the Germans' answers, no party to the conflict is exempt from responsibility for the situation.

Two-thirds of those polled (77 percent) believe that the terrorist organization Hamas is largely or entirely responsible for the situation in Gaza. But six in ten respondents (57 percent) say they would like Israel to take responsibility for the civilian population in the area.

Great dissatisfaction with the work of the government

Solidarity with Jews in Berlin

As always, in this survey, which is conducted once a month, the Germans appreciated the work of their government. Although German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his ministers received slightly better ratings compared to a month ago, the overall rating is bad. Only about a quarter of respondents (23 percent) positively evaluate the work of the government, which is four percent more than last time. Three quarters of the survey participants (76 percent) have a critical attitude, which is three percent less than the results of the last survey.

If Germans went to the polls now, the ruling coalition of Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals would not have a parliamentary majority. When asked which party they would vote for if the elections were next Sunday, the CDU/CSU Union is in first place with 30 percent support, which is two percent more than a month ago. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is in second place with 22 percent, unchanged from the previous poll. The result of the Social Democrats (SPD), who are in third place with 16 percent, has not changed either. In fourth place, also unchanged, are the Greens with 14 percent support. The Left improved its result by one percent and can count on voter support of five percent.

As for the topics, migration policy is in first place (25 percent), while economic and social policy is in second place (18 percent), and in third place are political issues and German foreign policy towards Ukraine ( 11 percent).

Infratest dimap Institute interviewed 1,314 German citizens with the right to vote for this monthly survey between October 30 and November 1./ DW