Five in six Jews in the Netherlands say anti-Semitism has got worse in the last five years, one of the highest levels in the European Union, according to the latest edition of a regular survey.

The EU agency for fundamental rights (FRA) carried out the survey before the October 7 attacks by Hamas, which triggered a military response from Israel in Gaza that has left at least 37,000 people dead.

In the Netherlands 83% of Jews felt the situation had worsened since the last survey in 2018, the same proportion as in France and Belgium, while 1% said it had improved. Only Germany scored worse, with 86% of people saying anti-Semitism had increased.

Respondents across Europe said they experienced more hatred online and in the real world, while 37% said they had been treated with hostility because of their Jewish identity. Altogether 96% said they had encountered anti-Semitism in some form in the previous 12 months.

Eddo Verdoner, national co-ordinator for countering anti-Semitism, said hatred towards Jews now made up nearly half of all cases of discrimination brought to court by the prosecution service, compared to three in 10 in 2021.

He told the NRC that the use of “Jew” as an insult in schools, anti-Jewish chants at football grounds and the relatively high use of social media in the Netherlands had created a climate of indifference.

“Too few people at football clubs or in the classroom dare to say: this is wrong, what you’re saying is anti-Semitic. That’s also because people who raise it are often not supported,” he said.

Verdoner said it was important to distinguish between anti-Semitism and criticism of Israel. “But if you project classic anti-Semitic fables onto Israelis, it’s still an anti-Semitic fable. Legitimate criticism is allowed, but if a comment crosses the line it needs to be called out.”