Rally against anti-Semitism exposes fractures within France's political class
A call for a weekend march against anti-Semitism in Paris has sparked bitter squabbling between political parties in France despite a surge in anti-Semitic incidents across the country.
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The hard-left France Unbowed party (LFI) said it would boycott the "great civic march" called by the speakers of the country's two houses of parliament to take place in the French capital on Sunday.
At the same time, the participation of the far-right National Rally (RN) is creating a headache for the left and centre-left, who argue that the renamed National Front founded by convicted Holocaust denier Jean-Marie Le Pen has no place in such a gathering.
Meanwhile, President Emmanuel Macron has not yet said whether he plans to take part, with government spokesman, Olivier Véran, saying Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne would be attending the march.
According to Véran, the National Rally "did not have a place" in the march.
This comes as Communist leader Fabien Roussel said he would "not march alongside" Marine Le Pen's party, accusing it of being descended from people who were "repeatedly condemned for anti-Semitic remarks" and who "collaborated" with Nazi Germany.
"It's important that there is a march against anti-Semitism," Roussel told public broadcaster France 2.
"We will perhaps march in another place, but not with them," he said.
Une marche contre l'antisémitisme, oui !
— Fabien Roussel (@Fabien_Roussel) November 8, 2023
Avec les héritiers de la WaffenSS, non !
J'interpellerai @YaelBRAUNPIVET et @gerard_larcher sur les contours de cet appel.
Nous défilerons avec les forces progressistes. pic.twitter.com/2iWeLSVyv2
Macron undecided
The two speakers of the French legislature – Yael Braun-Pivet of the National Assembly and Gerard Larcher of the Senate – announced a "general mobilisation" late Tuesday against the upsurge in anti-Semitic acts in France.
But the LFI's firebrand leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, immediately dismissed the idea, describing it in a post on X (formerly Twitter) as a meeting of "friends of unconditional support for the massacre" in Gaza.
Despite the controversy, Marine Le Pen said she would not be deterred from taking part.
"The more people there are, the better," she said Wednesday, adding that she was ready to march "at the back" if her attendance was such a problem.
In a speech to the Grand Orient de France – the country's oldest and largest Freemason organisation – President Macron did not let on whether he planned to attend on Sunday.
Nevertheless, the leader warned that anti-Semitism was on the rise again in France.
"It is displayed without fear or shame," Macron said, vowing to be "merciless in the face of hate-mongers."
L'antisémitisme refait surface.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) November 8, 2023
La République ne transigera pas. Nous serons impitoyables face aux porteurs de haine.
Star of David graffiti
Tensions have been rising in Paris, home to large Jewish and Muslim communities, in the wake of the attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel on 7 October, which has been followed by a month of Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
France has recorded more 1,159 anti-Semitic acts since the attack, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Sunday.
This represents more than three times the number of such acts in the whole of 2022.
Paris prosecutors are investigating an incident on 31 October, when buildings in the city and its suburbs were daubed with dozens of Stars of David.
The graffiti, which brought back memories of the Nazi occupation of Paris during World War II and deportation of Jews to death camps, was condemned across the political spectrum.
France is home to Europe's largest Jewish and Muslim populations and conflicts in the Middle East often lead to tensions between both communities.
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