“Experiences and Views of Antisemitism in Finland – A Report on Discrimination and Hate Crime Targeting Jews” is a new report indicating that the majority of people who identify as Jewish feel that antisemitism has increased in Finland in recent years.
According to the respondents, the greatest issue is the antisemitism that manifests on the Internet, social media, traditional media, and in political discourse. The respondents reported experiencing antisemitism from the right wing, the extreme left, and in Islamist contexts, among others. The most common grounds for discrimination were ethnic background or immigrant background.
However, only eight per cent of those who had experienced discrimination had reported their case to the police or a supervisory authority. Despite this, the respondents in the study had a high level of trust in the authorities and the Finnish legal system.
The report on antisemitism in Finland is based on the antisemitism survey prepared by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). This allows for the comparison of results with other European countries. The survey respondents were persons aged 16 or over living in Finland who identify as Jewish on the basis of religion, culture, education, ethnicity, family relationship, or some other reason. Depending on the method of calculation, the respondents make up approximately 17–22% of the Jewish population in Finland.
Antisemitism is a little-studied issue in Finland, and the discrimination and hate crime experienced by Jews living in Finland have never been surveyed before. This recently published report fills in some of the gaps and provides important information on the state of antisemitism in Finland for decision-makers, authorities, researchers, and experts who work in human rights, equality, and security. The report also offers recommendations for combating antisemitism and promoting the human rights and equality of Jewish communities.
The report was prepared by Mercédesz Czimbalmos and Dóra Pataricza, researchers at the Polin Institute, which operates in connection with Åbo Akademi University, on a joint assignment from the Human Rights Centre and the Ministry of Justice. The study was launched in spring 2023, with the active data collection phase carried out in October and November of that year.
- The majority of respondents (83%) believed that antisemitism has increased in Finland over the past five years.
- Most respondents (92%) said they consider a non-Jewish person to be antisemitic if they do not regard Jews living in Finland as Finnish. Additionally, 78% of respondents said they consider a person to be anti-Semitic if they boycott Israel or Israelis.
- A significant majority (85%) of respondents expressed concern about antisemitism on the internet in Finland.
- Of the respondents, 84% believed that antisemitism has increased on the internet, 72% believed it has increased in the media, and 70% believed it has increased in political life in Finland over the past five years.
- 70% of respondents reported that people in Finland blame them for the actions of the Israeli government because they are Jewish: 11% said this happens all the time, 16% said it happens often, and 45% said it happens occasionally.
- Over half of the respondents (54%) reported being very or fairly worried about being verbally insulted or harassed, while nearly half (42%) reported being very or fairly worried about being physically attacked.
