France struggles to find a course in view of the Gaza war
The spectrum ranges from anti-Jewish graffiti and insults to outright threats: In France, the Gaza war has led to a massive increase in anti-Semitic incidents. One example: a young man recently insulted a rabbi in Arabic on the Paris metro and then even kicked him in the back. More than 1,200 anti-Semitic incidents were registered within five weeks, three times as many as in the entire previous year. Hundreds of investigations were initiated.
This has caused outrage in the country with the highest number of Jewish inhabitants in Europe, with tens of thousands demonstrating against anti-Semitism at the weekend. At the same time, however, Islam is the second most important religion after Catholicism and France is also the country with the most Muslims in Europe. This includes, in particular, inhabitants with roots in Muslim countries, who are often particularly affected by the fate of the Palestinians. As in Germany, there were a number of mostly non-violent pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Against this backdrop, the government in Paris is also balancing its course with particular caution in light of the Gaza war.
Macron attempts a balancing act
Since the Hamas attack on Israel, President Emmanuel Macron, who is often said to have a both/and policy that attempts to cover various positions at the same time, has been trying to perform a balancing act: taking a clear position for Israel, for example with regard to the right to self-defense and security, while at the same time supporting the legitimate concerns of the Palestinians, such as their desire for a state of their own.
Macron was criticized in France for travelling to Israel for a solidarity visit rather late after a number of other leading politicians. He then accused Israel of an "indiscriminate bombardment" in Gaza, causing unnecessary suffering among civilians, and called for a ceasefire - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately rejected Macron's accusations.
100,000 people take to the streets against anti-Semitism
More than 100,000 people opposed the wave of anti-Semitism in Paris on Sunday. They received broad political support. Not without reason, as anti-Semitism has been a growing problem in France for years. After a serious anti-Semitic attack in France in 2012, an increasing number of Jews emigrated to Israel. The murder of Holocaust survivor Mireille Knoll for anti-Semitic motives also caused uproar in Paris in 2018.
Meanwhile, the Paris rally caused controversy and eye-rolling as to which parties were marching in the demonstration - and which were not. For example, the right-wing nationalist politician Marine Le Pen joined other representatives of the right-wing Rassemblement National (RN) in the rally. Other parties called on people to distance themselves from Le Pen and RN representatives were urged to take a stand on the anti-Semitic attitudes of Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founding father of the far-right party.
Right-wing parties march against anti-Semitism
By taking part in the rally, Le Pen was accused of continuing her softening course with the aim of becoming electable for broader sections of the population and no longer offending with extreme positions. However, she received support from an unexpected quarter. The Jewish historian Serge Klarsfeld, known as a "Nazi hunter", told the newspaper "Le Figaro" that the right-wing party had changed under the leadership of Marine Le Pen and that there had been a shift away from its former anti-Semitism. In this respect, the party's participation in the demonstration was something positive.
The Frenchman Klarsfeld (88), son of a Jew who was murdered in Auschwitz, has, together with his German wife Beate, made the persecution of Nazi criminals his life's work. Alongside Simon Wiesenthal, the Klarsfelds are probably the best-known persecutors of Nazi criminals. As a child in 1943, Klarsfeld himself only narrowly escaped the roundup in which his father was arrested and deported.
Left-wingers absent in protest against the right-wing participants
Meanwhile, the Left Party stayed away from the demonstration in protest against the right-wing participants - the leading left-wing politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon had also previously spoken of a gathering of "unconditional supporters of the massacre", which he believes is taking place in Gaza. Since the Hamas attack on Israel, controversy has grown over the political stance of the Left Party and Mélenchon in particular, who rejects the designation of Hamas as a terrorist organization.
The extreme left has always had an anti-Semitic tradition, said Klarsfeld. "I am relieved that the RN is abandoning anti-Semitism and acting as a defender of the Jews, but I am sad that the far left is abandoning its line of action against anti-Semitism." Communists, Socialists and Greens, however, joined the march against anti-Semitism initiated by the President of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, and Senate President Gérard Larcher.
The President was also absent
Meanwhile, many people found it incomprehensible that former presidents François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy and former heads of government were present at the rally, but not current President Emmanuel Macron. This may have been due to his both/and approach and his desire not to openly take sides in the conflict. Before the demonstration, Macron addressed the French in an open letter on the subject of anti-Semitism - at the same time, however, an interview with him appeared on the British BBC with strong criticism of Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip.
- Despite the criticism from some left-wing politicians, Emmanuel Macron remained neutral in the Gaza war, balancing his support for both Israel's right to self-defense and the Palestinians' desire for a state, as demonstrated in his open letter and BBC interview.
- The controversy surrounding Marine Le Pen's participation in the anti-Semitism protest was overshadowed by the support she received from unexpected quarters, including Jewish historian Serge Klarsfeld, who acknowledged a shift away from the party's former anti-Semitic stance.
Source: www.dpa.com
