Strange bedfellows at Paris march against anti-Semitism

Younger or previous, the French love to carry huge demonstrations, and, generally, associated home political rivalries equal or take priority over the trigger itself. This previous Saturday, Sunday and Monday, there have been three demonstrations for 3 separate however associated causes.

On Sunday, some 105,000 folks gathered right here in Paris, and 80,000 others all through France, to protest in opposition to the massive improve in anti-Semitic incidents associated to the present IDF bombing marketing campaign and floor incursion in Gaza, in response to the inhuman massacres by the Hamas on Oct 7.

“Many Jews listed below are comforted by the large presence of our non-Jewish neighbors,” commented Karen, strolling within the crowd at Invalides together with her boyfriend, “however the participation of the acute proper wing RN social gathering with its anti-Semitic historical past bothers many people. For me, immediately the acute proper wing is the lesser of two evils, in contrast with the acute left wing social gathering, La France Insoumise.”

The Rassemblement Nationwide (RN) social gathering, the previous Nationwide Entrance, was led for years by notorious anti-Semite Jean-Marie Le Pen, recognized for outrageous declarations akin to “the gasoline chambers have been a minor element in WWII”, that attracted plenty of Gallic French Jew-haters, Arabs, and Blacks. In the present day, led by his daughter Marine Le Pen, the RN focuses on crime and immigration, particularly from Muslim African and North African nations, and has gained votes from Jews and sure Blacks, largely Christians from the Caribbean.

On the similar time, La France Insoumise, or France Unbowed, led by charismatic leftist firebrand Jean Luc Melenchon, has attracted large numbers of traditional French leftists together with his criticism of center-right former banker President Emmanuel Macron, and equally giant numbers of French of North African Muslim origins together with his tirades in opposition to the present Israeli authorities, and his refusal to name Hamas a terrorist group.

What are the numbers? There aren’t any, as a result of it’s unlawful in France to determine folks by their racial or spiritual origins, a regulation enacted after World Struggle II to guard the 2 thirds of some 225,000 French Jews who weren’t deported by French police collaborating with the Nazis.

So what follows may by no means be printed in French right here. Within the crowd of greater than 100,000, together with many aged folks, I noticed no North African faces and few Black faces. I’m certain there have been some. My pal and fellow journalist Michel noticed a bunch of some 20 folks strolling beneath a Kabyle flag, a big Muslim minority from Algeria, typically very profitable in France and never related to radical Islamic actions.

Imam Hassen Chalghoumi, derisively labeled “the imam of the Jews” by many Muslims, was current, as have been sure North African, some France-based, intellectuals. “The overall absence of Muslims within the crowd was very regrettable,” commented my pal Michel, himself of Sephardi origins, “however some folks right here, together with Muslims, affiliate demonstrating in opposition to antisemitism with assist for the Israeli authorities. They’re very mistaken, and I’m an excellent instance of how mistaken they’re.”

A lady named Claire commented, “I used to be shocked by the Hamas massacres. And the destruction of Gaza may be very worrisome, however that is France, not the Center East. I’m not Jewish, however we French should get up in opposition to antisemitism right here.” Did she occur to note who was not current on the demonstration, that the group was 99.9% white? “No, I didn’t discover this,” she mentioned. Most individuals did discover that President Macron was not current, however that reportedly as much as 3,000 riot police have been. There have been no riots.

Tv commentary Sunday night time centered on French unity, politicians singing La Marseillaise, the nationwide anthem. “The Republic and its values are threatened by antisemitism, greater than 1,000 acts previously month, greater than in all of 2022, however this demonstration has nothing to do with the Israeli-Palestinian battle,” mentioned one analyst.

“Une belle picture de la France, » mentioned one other. Then… “une certaine France, a well-educated, cultivated France.” That is the closest any tv or press analyst can come to saying that nearly no Muslims have been current. It’s un-spoken French racism, to say the least.

A day earlier, at the least half the group of a number of thousand marching from Republique to Nation for a “Free Palestine” was of North African or Center Japanese Muslim origin, together with many younger folks. The attendance, by the way, was a lot decrease than that for the same demonstration held in London. “This has nothing to do with supporting Hamas,” mentioned Samir, of Lebanese origin, born in France. “It’s horrible what they did to the kibbutzim. However Gazaouis are being massacred by the Israelis. It should cease. We wish peace.”

He and several other different folks I spoke to identified the presence of two excessive leftist French Jewish teams on the march. I attempted to meet up with them, however sadly couldn’t.

For the document, they’ve few members, only a few. They aren’t thought of outcasts by mainstream French Jewish organizations; they’re merely ignored, completely.

“There should be a ceasefire,” insisted Nicolas, a movie director. “Gazaouis endure beneath the Hamas, it’s apparent. But it surely seems just like the Israelis are wiping out Gaza, as they attempt to destroy the Hamas. I believe all these youngsters whose households have been killed will develop as much as type a brand new Hamas, and can by no means forgive the Israelis. And what the Hamas did is inhuman. I’ve seen the footage. And sure, the quantity of faux footage on social media is superb however you recognize, you and I see it as a result of we work with photographs. Most individuals don’t see it, they usually couldn’t care much less. It’s like two sides not speaking to one another.”

As marchers close by lit crimson flares and chanted “Macron Confederate, Israel Murderer”, a younger girl named Sara instructed me, “don’t you dare say that we’re anti-Semitic as a result of we exhibit for a Free Palestine and for peace. You inform the reality. Hamas? What they did was terrible, however the photographs from Gaza are insufferable, so many hundreds killed by the Israeli bombs.”

“Why do you retain asking about Hamas,” a youthful pal requested me angrily. “No person right here helps Hamas,” she mentioned. “We assist Palestine.”

“You recognize, if years in the past there had been a march in opposition to the Shoah, I’d have marched identical to I’m marching now,” Sara broke in. “The truth is, in Tunisia, I had a Jewish grandmother.” She smiles at me. She is tough to withstand.

“So will you march in opposition to anti-Semitism tomorrow?” I requested her.

“No means I’ll march with the Nationwide Entrance politicians,” she mentioned. “They’re fascist bastards. They hate Arabs, and you recognize they hate Jews too.” As marchers close by, some masked, started chanting “Allah ouakbar”, she and her associates moved away…rapidly.

However on Monday, there was one other gathering, extremely restricted this time, on the Bataclan Theatre, restricted to the president, ministers, households of victims, registered press, and hundreds of closely armed police. It was the eighth anniversary of the 2015 assaults by Islamic radicals in Paris, together with on the Bataclan, during which greater than 100 folks have been killed.

Anyone learn the names of the victims, of all origins. Then there was largely silence. It was a chilly, gloomy, wet morning in Paris. No person I requested felt like saying something.

Printed by Globes, Israel enterprise information – en.globes.co.il – on November 14, 2023.

© Copyright of Globes Writer Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2023.