March for the Republic and Against Antisemitism
| March for the Republic and Against Antisemitism | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Gaza war protests | |||
 The march at the Esplanade des Invalides in Paris | |||
| Date | 12 November 2023 | ||
| Location | Numerous cities across France | ||
| Goals | Condemnation of the rise of Antisemitism in France | ||
| Methods | Silent march | ||
| Number | |||
| |||
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 Gaza war.
Background
[edit]Since the beginning of the surprise attack against Israel by Hamas on 7 October 2023, 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
[edit]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
- Actors 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
[edit]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 participation 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
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ 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.
{{cite web}}:|last5=has generic name (help) - ^ 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.
