German voters see antisemitism on the rise

Germany's Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck (Green Party) has caused a stir on social networks by posting a video with a speech in which he warned of growing antisemitism in the country — among Islamists, right-wing extremists, but also "in parts of the political left," he said.

Habeck stressed that criticism of Israel's policies is permitted in Germany, as is standing up for the rights of Palestinians. However, "antisemitism should not be tolerated in any form — none whatsoever," he stressed.

Habeck seems to have hit a nerve: The pollster infratest dimap conducted a representative survey of 1,314 eligible voters between October 30 and November 1 and found that 52% of respondents believe there has been a rise in antisemitism in Germany since the Hamas terror attacks on October 7, while around 40% do not.

By comparison, four years ago, immediately aftera German right-wing extremist attacked a synagogue in the eastern city of Halle, leaving two people dead, 59% of those polled said they perceived a rise in antisemitism.

Is Israel's reaction appropriate?

All respondents said they saw the Hamas terror attack of October 7 and its consequences with great concern. Three-quarters said that current events in the Middle East affected them "very strongly" or "strongly."

Infratest dimap also asked them whether they thought Israel's military response to the terrorist attacks was appropriate. Some 35% said they thought Israel's response to the attacks was proportionate, 41% say that Israel's military is going too far, and the other 8% said the military actions did not go far enough.

However, only 25% of respondents feel Israeli military strikes against Hamas are justified even if they impact mainly on the Palestinian civilian population, whereas 61% said they feel would not be justified.

Who is responsible for the situation in Gaza?

Over four-fifths of respondents (81%) expressed concern about the hostages kidnapped by Hamas, 65% about the situation of the Israeli civilian population, and 72% about the Palestinian civilians. Among those surveyed, 78% said they fear that the conflict will spread in the region.

Aid organizations have reported catastrophic conditions for the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip, and the majority of respondents in Germany said both sides are responsible for the situation of the civilian population: Some 77% said they consider the terrorist organization Hamas to be somewhat or fully responsible for the conditions on the ground, while 57% also hold Israel responsible for the situation of the people in Gaza.

Dissatisfaction with the government remains high

Every month, the infratest dimap pollsters ask voters to rate the government's performance. Approval ratings for Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his center-left government have risen slightly, but the overall assessment is poor. Only just under a quarter of those eligible to vote are happy with the work of his federal government, while three-quarters are critical.

If a general election were held today, the ruling coalition of center-left Social Democrats (SPD), Greens, and neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP), who came to power in December 2021, would not have a majority. The FDP would even fall below the 5% threshold necessary to enter the federal parliament, the Bundestag.

The center-right bloc of Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) retains its lead in the polls, at 30%, with the populist far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) still in second place with 22%.

The socialist Left Party, on the other hand, which has just seen prominent lawmaker Sahra Wagenknecht form a breakaway movement, has gained ground and could expect to enter parliament again.

This article was originally written in German.

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