the rape of a young Jew arouses turmoil in a political class in the middle of an electoral campaign

5 mins

President Emmanuel Macron asked this June 19, during the Council of Ministers, that “ a time of exchange » be organized in the coming days in schools on racism and anti-Semitism. A statement which follows a case that began on Saturday evening in Courbevoie, in Hauts-de-Seine. A young girl described being accosted by three teenagers and dragged into a shed while she was in a park near her home with a friend, having been raped, threatened with death and having been the victim of anti-Semitic remarks. Three minors were arrested. Two of them were indicted for gang rape, death threats, insults and anti-Semitic violence. A third suspect was placed under the status of assisted witness for the alleged acts of rape and indicted for the other offenses, said the same source.

This tragedy immediately exacerbated the campaign of legislative already under tension, the theme of anti-Semitism having been widely brandished during the European campaign of June 9. Marine Le Pen (RN) reacted by evoking a “ stigmatization of Jews for months by the far left “. The leader of the National Rally picked up on this affair to call not to vote for left-wing parties in the early legislative elections. “ The anti-Semitic attack and the rape of a 12-year-old child (…) revolt us “, declared the head of the far-right party, immediately criticizing “ the stigmatization of Jews for months by the far left through the instrumentalization of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “. “ Everyone must be fully aware of this on June 30 and July 7 », concluded Ms Le Pen.

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For his part, Jean-Luc Mélenchon (LFI), like the rest of the left, denounced a crime “ anti-Semitic “. “ Horrified by this rape in Courbevoie and everything it highlights regarding the conditioning of criminal male behavior from a young age, and anti-Semitic racism », declared, on the social network

In the presidential camp, Sylvain Maillard, former president of the Renaissance group in the National Assembly, confided his “ horror at this anti-Semitic rape » « Anti-Semitism must be fought from an early age and punished severely “, he demanded. “ Rape, anti-Semitism: everything is abominable in this crime », Also reacted the Minister of National Education, Nicole Belloubet.

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Unanimous convictions

On the left, condemnations came from all the main parties. The rebellious outgoing deputy from the Somme, François Ruffin, denounced a “ horrible anti-Semitic rape ” Who ” must strike us deep down, on what it reveals “. “ Anti-Semitism and violence against women are gaping wounds in our society. We must face this reality and act resolutely », also reacted the national secretary of the Ecologists Marine Tondelier, when her PCF counterpart Fabien Roussel denounced “ an atrocious crime which reminds us once again that anti-Semitism is corrupting our society and growing dangerously “. On Tuesday, the first secretary of the PS, Olivier Faure, castigated the “ scourge ” of ” anti-Semitic hatred “, calling to fight it “ without weakness and without respite “.

During the discussions for the creation of the New Popular Front, the LFI partners in this left-wing alliance for the legislative elections had placed great emphasis on the importance of the fight against anti-Semitism. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, for his part, estimated on June 2 that “ anti-Semitism remains residual in France », comments which had sparked strong criticism, including on the left.

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“ We consider that obviously there is a big problem of anti-Semitism at LFI “, what ” discredits the entire left in its battle against the extreme right “, explains Lorenzo Leschi, spokesperson for the left-wing Jewish collective Golem. But “ the extreme right is the main danger threatening Jews and French society, and we must do everything to prevent it from reaching the government on July 7 “, he told AFP: “ It’s complicated, but it’s obvious for us to stand in the way, including by supporting the Popular Front “. The accusation of anti-Semitism is hotly contested at LFI.

This Wednesday again, the National Rally indicated that it had withdrawn its support for one of its candidates in Morbihan who had published an anti-Semitic message on social networks in 2018, a publication never deleted or disowned. “ This is an RN candidate. The matrix of the RN is racism and anti-Semitism. Simple », writes the first secretary of the Socialist Party Olivier Faure on X.

Éric Ciotti, at the origin of an alliance between the right and the RN in the legislative elections, also withdrew his nomination this Wednesday to Louis-Joseph Pecher, who was running under his colors in Meurthe-et-Moselle for “ Anti-Semitic, homophobic and filthy remarks » on the networks, he said in a press release. “ The union of the rights that we are calling for must precisely block the torrents of hatred, anti-Semitism and violence carried by the extreme left “, affirmed the president of the “Republicans on the right”.

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