Anti-Jewish Protests Resume In France Despite Recent Government Ban
Anti-Jewish protests resumed in Paris, France on Wednesday despite a recent government ban which sought to restrain what it called “anti-Semitic radicals.” The demonstrators were using Israel’s defensive war against Hamas terrorists in Gaza as a vehicle for taking actions against Jews.
A few thousand protestors descended on the capital amid tight security just days after synagogues and Jewish owned stores were looted and vandalized in scenes reminiscent of Kristallnacht. The police said that they deployed around 1,000 undercover and uniformed officers along the route of the march.
During the protest, many people held Palestinian flags and stickers, and screamed slogans such as “Boycott Israel,” “Israel killer,” and “Long live Palestine, long live the resistance!” fueling the most serious anti-Semitic atmosphere in Paris since the Second World War.
The protests didn’t stop there, as simultaneous marches took place in Lyon, Toulouse, Lille, and Reims, all conveying the message of an alleged “massacre” in Gaza, while totally ignoring the extreme and deadly actions of the Hamas terrorist group which administers Gaza.
The Interior Minister of France, Bernard Cazeneuve, warned protestors that anyone caught shouting “Death to the Jews!” or burning an Israeli flag during the marches would be arrested.
In spite of the government ban, several Jewish businesses were looted, and fears of pogroms against Jews increased. The main organizer of the protest, the National Collective for Just and Durable Peace between Israelis and Palestinians, hailed the decision to let the demonstration go ahead: “It’s a victory for democracy and freedom of expression,” said Taoufiq Tahani.
To add further to the anti-Jewish sentiment rife in Paris these days, a large number of French political parties, from across the spectrum, condoned the decision to ultimately authorize Wednesday’s marches.
It seems that Anti-Semitism has become so commonplace in France that the Israeli government launched a special program to encourage French Jews to move to Israel. Immigration to Israel from France has skyrocketed 312% in the past seven months.
