anti-semitism in Norway Norway

NORWEGIAN HOLOCAUST CENTER CONDUCTS SURVEY OF ANTI-SEMITISM IN NORWAY…….

 

WHITEWASH!

It all depends upon how they (the Norwegian Holocaust Center) defined anti-Semitic views when talking with radical and ”moderate” pro-Palestinian supporters about Israel.   I can safely wager that if the NHC included talk, for an example, that rejected Jewish self determination (demands for a bi-national state), or equating Israeli policies with that of Nazis (and that’s just for starters), the numbers would jump exponentially, so much so that it would be making headlines around the globe.

There is also the Stockholm syndrome element involved, or should I say, the ”Oslo syndrome”, which sees the local Jewry bending over backwards to prove that there “isn’t any real anti-Semitism to speak of”, not outside existing normal trends in Europe that is. The pitch here is, that though any antisemitism is bad, it’s not that much worse in Norway.

With all the eyes on the study, it’s safe to say that the pressure was immense to downplay the real extent of it, so hence the need to make it match other trends around the continent. I believe that the study was skewed. I find it hard to believe that those who held radical or ”moderate” pro-Palestinian views (50% and 75% respectively) did not exhibit anti-Semitism. Also, please do note the lack of mention of which groups of people actually exhibited anti-Semitic views from the 600 000 number.

Anti-Semitic views within the immigrant community would be an interesting statistic to know about, don’t you think? You’ll have to ask yourselves why that important tid bit, as well as the question posed and the working definition used to determine anti-Semitic views of those participating in the study.

UPDATE: Brian of London has a good piece today on anti-Semitic views where Israel is concerned, and I’ll add to that:

–To deny Jews that which all other ethnic groups automatically claim a right to…and even if not realistically implementable….still allowed to hope and dream….is in fact anti-Semitism.

–To consistantly question Israel’s legitimacy…when no other state,..even N.Korea’s, is not questioned….is in fact anti-Semitism

–To insist that you, as a non-Israeli, can define the national character and society of Israel, while no other democratic state has had to endure such nonsense….is in fact anti-Semitism.

Some 12.5 percent of Norwegians hold clear prejudices against Jews, according to the country’s first ever comprehensive survey of anti-Semitism.

Eight percent said they would not like to have Jews as neighbours or friends.

Anti-Semitic tendencies were most apparent among men, older people and people with a low level of education, while women, young people, and well-educated Norwegians were in general less prejudiced.

Holocaust Centre coordinator Øivind Kopperud noted that, while the level of anti-Semitism was relatively limited, 12.5 percent of the population still equated to more than 600,000 people.  

“A few of the individual figures are quite frightening,” said Kopperud, who pointed out that Norway is a politically stable and wealthy country.

He expressed particular concern over the fact that 38 percent of respondents equated Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians to the Nazi’s treatment of Jews during World War II.

Furthermore, a quarter of Norwegians believed Jews used the memory of the Holocaust to gain advantages for themselves, while 12 percent said Jews bore responsibility for their own persecution. In neighbouring Sweden, just 2 percent of people said Jews had themselves to blame, while in Germany the figure rose to 10 percent.  

Kopperud said it should also be borne in mind that Norway is home to only around 1,500 Jews. Few people have either Jewish friends or colleagues at school, university or in the workplace.

“So when they speak about Jews and their view of Jews, they are speaking about the mythical ‘Jew’, and that’s completely different from the relationship to other minorities who are quite visible.”

The study also showed that criticism of Israel did not always go hand in hand with anti-Semitic opinions.

An analysis revealed that half of respondents who held radical pro-Palestinian views did not display signs of anti-Semitism.

Among people with more moderate pro-Palestinian opinions, 75 percent showed no indication of being anti-Semitic.

More here.

8 Responses

  1. I wonder what the percentages would be if they would hold a survey among the political elite. I also wonder what ‘radical pro-Palestinian’ actually means and how this relates to the biased Norwegian coverage in the news.

    1. now you’re hitting the nail on the head POTB. Spot on analysis. The elite are the real culprits…

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