in France, more than 182,000 people march against anti-Semitism

6 mins

A good part of the French political class, including the far right, was present, but without the head of state or certain left-wing parties, “for the Republic, against anti-Semitism “. Behind a banner repeating the slogan of this demonstration, the head of the procession set off from the square in front of the National Assembly before making a first stop to sing a Marseillaise while some went out to their windows to applaud. The Esplanade des Invalides, the starting point of the march, was black with a compact crowd, while the metro stations and adjacent streets were clogged, showing a very large crowd. Many demonstrators carried small tricolor flags.

A square of political figures appeared at the head of the procession. Among them were the two heads of Parliament who initiated this march, Yaël Braun-Pivet and Gérard Larcher, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, former presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande and even the president of Crif, Yonathan Arfi. “ Our agenda is the Republic “, summarized Gérard Larcher, calling on Public Senate for a “ citizen burst » in the face of the explosion in the number of hostile acts against Jews since the Hamas massacres in Israel on October 7 and the massive military response that followed. “Many citizens have mobilized,” rejoiced the Prime Minister. And to add: “ We want to tell our fellow citizens of the Jewish religion that we are at their side, that we will not let anything pass “.

France has the largest Jewish community in Europe, with around 500,000 people, who live side-by-side with millions of Muslims. The increase in anti-Semitic acts is one of the signs of a feared importation of the conflict. This Sunday, many in the procession called for peace, like Elishaï, 19, and his mother Ana. He is a young reservist in the Israeli army, taking advantage of leave to visit his family who live in France. “ I am here for peace. I want Hamas to free as many Jews as possible and for the Palestinian people to live in peace, they didn’t ask for anything », he tells us.

Presence of the National Rally

On the political side, the leaders of the different parties took great care not to cross paths, note Pierrick Bonno, from the political service of the RFI. “ We are exactly where we need to be », retorted Marine Le Pen at the end of the procession from the Invalides, castigating the “ petty politics ” of its detractors who have been emphasizing for several days the anti-Semitic past of his party.

The presence of the far right was a source of some tension in the parade. A group of activists from the left-wing Jewish organization Golem briefly tried to oppose his participation at the start of the demonstration, before being contained by the police.

Also listenInternational guest – Increase in anti-Semitic incidents in Europe: “A breeding ground for the extreme right”

The left-wing parties Europe Ecologie-Les Verts, PS and PCF as well as associations for the defense of human rights have chosen to display themselves behind a common banner “ against anti-Semitism and all the perpetrators of hatred and racism » in an approach of “ republican cordon » facing the far right. “ Obviously the participation of the National Rally in this march is disturbing but it seemed to us that our place was here. Yes, it’s destabilizing to walk in the same demonstration as them », expressed Marine Tondelier, leader of environmentalists.

Emmanuel Macron decided not to parade. The President of the Republic addressed the French on Saturday evening, through a letter published by the newspaper The Parisian. He lamented “ the unbearable resurgence of unbridled anti-Semitism “. “ A France where our Jewish fellow citizens are afraid is not France “, he wrote, launching an appeal for the unity of France “ behind its values, its universalism “.

Absent rebellious France

But the rebellious France of Jean-Luc Mélenchon missing. The radical left party, accused of ambivalence on anti-Semitism, boycotted the demonstration due to the presence of the RN, even if rebels participated in other gatherings in the provinces. A sign of a growing divide, the wreath-laying organized by LFI at the end of the morning near the site of the former Vel d’Hiv was disrupted by a group of counter-protesters displaying signs ” Don’t touch the memory ”, to cries of “ collaborators “.

Muslim leaders were also divided, with several organizations deploring that the call to demonstrate did not include “ not a word about Islamophobia » and pointed « amalgams » between Islam and anti-Semitism.

Also listenDebate of the day – How to break the spiral of anti-Semitism?

“ The Republic united against anti-Semitism »

In Marseille, there were around 7,500 people marching, according to police. Some demonstrators wore yarmulkes or waved French flags. Others carried signs reading “ France, no to anti-Semitism ” And “ Since October 7 [date de l’attaque du mouvement islamiste palestinien Hamas en Israël, NDLR]in France, 1 150 anti-Semitic acts. That’s enough ! “.

“ Today in Marseille, the Republic came together against anti-Semitism. We must remain inflexible on our republican values, nothing can justify the acts of hatred we are facing at the moment “, declared the left-wing mayor of the city, Benoît Payan, who demanded a “ immediate and unconditional release of hostages » Israelis currently detained by Hamas.

The president of the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur region Renaud Muselier (Renaissance), the president of the Aix-Marseille metropolis Martine Vassal (LR), the LR senator Valérie Boyer and the far-right senator from the Reconquête party ! Stéphane Ravier was also in the procession. The presence of the latter also caused a small incident at the beginning when a group of demonstrators shouted “ Get out the fascists! ” against him.

Other gatherings brought together 3,000 people in Lyon, as many in Nice, and also a few thousand in Strasbourg. More than 70 gatherings were planned for this Sunday throughout France. In total, 182,000 demonstrators took to the streets in France.