"Brazen expressions of anti-Zionism and hostility towards the State of Israel that spill over into antisemitism continue to be visible among socialist and far left political parties in Europe, according to a new assessment published on Tuesday by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
The report, titled ‘Antisemitism and Radical Anti-Israel Bias on the Political Left in Europe,’ draws on contributions from four Jewish or pro-Israel institutions in France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom. It examines how ‘anti-Israel actions and calls for the application of BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) against Israel are increasingly common in leftist political circles in Europe.’ The report further notes that their ‘rhetoric influences, and draws inspiration from, some left-leaning activist movements in the US.’
The report identifies ‘common antisemitic themes that emerge from each of the four countries, including claims that Jewish cabals control politics and media; Holocaust trivialization; equating Israel with the Nazi regime; and the false charge that accusations of antisemitism are used to silence criticism of Israel,’ the ADL observed.
‘While left-wing antisemitism has existed in France for many years, its mainstreaming is a source of deep concern in the French Jewish community,’ stated the contribution from France, supplied by the editors of the Jewish magazine K. ‘Since the mid-20th century, the French left had been influenced by the Soviet Communist Party with its anti-Zionism that challenged the legitimacy of Israel’s existence, propagated conspiracy theories, and portrayed Israel as a destabilizing factor both regionally and internationally.’..."