15% of Italians say Holocaust never happened — poll

Annual survey records surge in Holocaust denial; about a quarter of Italians polled say Jews control the economy, media, US policy

By Cnaan Liphshiz 1 February 2020, 5:27 am Edit

Cnaan Liphshiz is The Times of Israel's Jewish World reporter

Illustrative: Italian Aldo Rolfi stands in front of the door to his home, where the writing ‘’Juden Hier,’’ German for ‘’Jews Here,’’ with a Star of David, was painted, during a torchlit protest against anti-Semitism, in Mondovi, northern Italy, January 24, 2020. (Marco Alpozzi/LaPresse via AP)

JTA — More than 15 percent of respondents to a poll in Italy said the Holocaust never happened.

The results are part of the annual Eurispes Italy Report published Thursday. The poll by the non-governmental organization probes Italians’ views on a number of subjects, including the credibility of the government, the media and history, this year including the Holocaust.

The prevalence of Holocaust denial among the 1,120 Italian adults surveyed is more than five times higher than in the 2004 edition, when 2.7% of respondents said the Holocaust never happened.

Nearly 24% of the respondents said Jews control the economy and media, and 26% said they control US policy.

Nearly two-thirds indicated that recent cases of anti-Semitism are isolated and have no bearing on the real scope of anti-Semitism in Italy.

About 20% agreed with that statement that many think that Benito Mussolini, Hitler’s ally and mentor and the father of 20th-century fascism, “was a great leader who only made a few mistakes.”