Anti-Muslim sentiments on the rise in Europe: Survey

More than 50% of Italians and Poles have a negative view of Muslims, according to new research which reveals worrying levels of xenophobia in several European countries.

Anti-Semitism is also high in both countries, with one in five Italians and one in four Poles viewing Jews unfavourably. In contrast, less than one in 10 French and British people expressed similar views.Xenophobia has seen a revival in Europe of late, with the rise of far-right and nationalist parties such as the Front National in France and the Pegida movement in Germany.The study, which also surveyed four other EU nations, was conducted after the Charlie Hebdo shootings and  kosher supermarket attack in Paris earlier this year.

Although anti-Muslim sentiment is high in several European countries, the survey reported that there was not a dramatic increase in Islamophobia following the attacks. Three-quarters of French people voiced positive opinions of Muslims, while favourable views of Muslims increased by 8% and 11% since last year in the UK and Germany respectively.At 92%, French respondents expressed the most favourable views towards Jewish people of all the countries surveyed.Eight in 10 Germans said they viewed Jews in Germany positively, despite the German interior minister announcing earlier this month that Anti-Semitic attacks rose by 25% last year.

This negative opinion is reflected elsewhere in Europe, with six in 10 French seeing Roma unfavourably and similar sentiments expressed by more than a third of British.Spain gave the most positive reception to Roma, with 58% of Spaniards expressing positive views.