The March for the Republic and Against Antisemitism (French: marche pour la République et contre l'antisémitisme) was a protest that took place in many cities, but predominantly Paris, in France on 12 November 2023 in response to the rise in antisemitism since the beginning of the 2023 Israel-Hamas War.
Background
Since the beginning of the surprise attack against Israel, a growing number of acts of antisemitism have occurred in France.[1] On 7 November 2023, President of the National Assembly Yaël Braun-Pivet and President of the Senate Gérard Larcher called for the formation of a "large civil protest" against antisemitism in the Palais Bourbon and Palais Luxembourg.[2]
Protests
In Paris, a march of silence began on Les Invalides at 3:00 PM, and marchers passed the National Assembly and Senate Building two hours later. Over 105,000 participated in the event, including figures such as:[3]
- Former presidents François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy (and his wife, former model and singer Carla Bruni)
- Former prime ministers Jean Castex, Édouard Philippe, Bernard Cazeneuve, Manuel Valls and Jean-Marc Ayrault
- Current Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne and 30 other members of government[4]
- President of the Constitutional Council Laurent Fabius
- Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo
- Politicians Sébastien Chenu, Marine Le Pen, Jordan Bardella, Marine Tondelier, Sandrine Rousseau, Marion Maréchal, Éric Zemmour, Rachida Dati, François Baroin, Eric Ciotti, Yannick Jadot, Jean-Louis Debré, Fabien Roussel, Olivier Faure, Sylvain Maillard, and Stéphane Séjourné
- Comedians Raphaël Personnaz, Richard Berry, Tomer Sisley, Élie Semoun, Jean Dujardin, Natalie Portman, and Laura Smet
- Television presenters Sophie Davant, Elsa Fayer, Arthur Cyril Hanouna, and Thierry Ardisson
President Emmanuel Macron condemned antisemitism in a letter and stated that the march was a "sign of hope". In total, across France, over 182,000 people participated in the protests.[5] Every political party represented in the current French legislature responded to the protests, with the exception of La France Insoumise, although various LFI politicians participated in the Strasbourg protests.[6]
Controversies
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, founder of the LFI, claimed that the march was a "far-right" protest with an agenda of unconditional support for the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.[7]
The Jewish left-wing collective, "Golem", founded on the night before the march, mobilized against it, upset with participtation of the Rassemblement National (RN).[8][9]
During the demonstration, members of the Jewish Defense League, who provided the RN's security service, assaulted a person who was protesting against Marine Le Pen and attacked demonstrators from the Golem collective.[10][11]
See also
References
- ^ Gable, Margaux. "Explosion des actes antisémites : "On assiste à un accroissement des menaces"". Libération (in French). Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ Jacquot, Guillaume (2023-11-07). "Gérard Larcher et Yaël Braun-Pivet appellent à l'organisation d'une grande marche contre l'antisémitisme". Public Sénat (in French). Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ Bajos, Par Sandrine; Balle, Catherine; Bérard, Christophe; Berrod, Nicolas; Bureau, Éric; Choulet, Frédéric; Collet, Emeline; Souza, Pascale De; Doukhan, David (2023-11-11). "Marche contre l'antisémitisme : François Hollande, Marylise Léon, Agnès Jaoui... pourquoi ils s'engagent". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ Bourgeoise, Marie-Pierre (2023-11-13). "Après la marche contre l'antisémitisme, Yaël Braun-Pivet salue "un succès populaire"". BFMTV (in French). Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ "Marche contre l'antisémitisme: plus de 182 000 personnes ont défilé en France, dont 105,000 à Paris". Le Monde.fr (in French). Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ Baldeweck, Yolanda (2023-11-12). "À Strasbourg, les députés insoumis se sont fondus dans la foule de la marche contre l'antisémitisme". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ Gentilhomme, Célestine; Lepelletier, Pierre (2023-11-09). "Comment Jean-Luc Mélenchon s'est éloigné de la lutte contre l'antisémitisme". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ Veillerot, Marius (2023-11-13). "Marche contre l'antisémitisme : qu'est-ce que le collectif Golem, qui a barré la route à l'extrême droite ?". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ Capucine, Licoys (2023-11-13). "Antisémitisme : Golem, un collectif de militants juifs mobilisés contre le RN". La Croix (in French). ISSN 0242-6056. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ Berteloot, Tristan. "Pourquoi la Ligue de défense juive a-t-elle marché aux côtés du Rassemblement national contre l'antisémitisme ?". Libération (in French). Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ Garnier, Christophe-Cécil; Molard, Mathieu; Douley, Eva; Weisz, Johan (2023-11-13). "Tabassage, intimidations et soutien au RN, la Ligue de défense juive est de retour". StreetPress (in French). Retrieved 2023-12-18.
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