Survey: 1 in 5 Europeans believe a secret Jewish cabal orchestrates global affairs

One-fifth of Europeans believe an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that a secret Jewish cabal influences global political and economic affairs, a new survey found.

More than 16,000 citizens from 16 different European countries including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Belgium were interviewed over the last couple months as a part of the survey conducted by the Hungary-based Action and Protection League.

The results were disclosed at a conference on anti-Semitism in Paris on Monday, according to the Jewish Telegraph Agency, which also reported findings that one in five Europeans agreed with the statement that "Jews exploit Holocaust victimhood for their own needs."

Here are some of the other results from the survey:

A quarter of respondents agreed with the statement that Israel's policies make them understand why some people hate Jews.

More than a quarter concurred with the statement that "Israel is engaged in legitimate self defense against its enemies." A quarter of respondents disagreed and 46% did not express a position.

More than a third agreed with the assertion that "During World War II, people from our nation suffered as much as Jews."

A sample of 1,000 adults from each of the 16 countries were presented with 45 questions or statements in face-to-face interviews about Jews and Israel, the Action and Protection League told JTA. The survey reportedly has a margin of error of +/-0.8 percent.

Commenting on the results, Rabbi Slomo Koves, the chairman of the Action and Protection League, reported that Holocaust revisionism and stereotypes about Jewish people were more prevalent in Eastern European countries, while anti-Israel sentiments were more prevalent in Western Europe.

A complete breakdown of the survey results on a country-by-country basis is still being worked out, Koves acknowledged.

The survey follows a similar study conducted by the Anti-Defamation League, an international Jewish organization that aims to stop the defamation of Jewish people worldwide, last spring and summer. That study, which interviewed people living in 18 countries around the world, found that 1 in 4 Europeans "harbor pernicious and pervasive attitudes toward Jews."

Anti-Semitism is not isolated to European countries, though. A recent FBI statement titled, "Confronting the Rise in Anti-Semitic Domestic Terrorism," noted that "2019 was the deadliest year for domestic violent extremism" since 1995.