At the rally in support of the Israeli people in Marseille: “There is a time for everything. Today we mourn »
During the rally in support of the people of Israel in Marseille, October 9, 2023. CLEMENT MAHOUDEAU / AFP
Several hundred people gathered in Marseille in the late afternoon in front of the prefecture of Bouches-du-Rhône at the call of the CRIF Marseille-Provence, the United Jewish Social Fund and the Marseille Consistory, our correspondent, Gilles Rof, writes to us this evening. A gathering of solidarity with Israel and Israelis that the organizers wanted to keep short and quiet. “No words can ease our suffering. “No term defines the unbearable cruelty of the attacks on women, children and families,” said Fabienne Bendayan, president of CRIF in the region and the only figure to speak. There is time for everything. Today we mourn. »
The many elected officials in attendance were invited to take turns lighting candles in memory of the victims of the Hamas attacks. Only a few members of Marseille’s political class did not respond to the call. Although they did not speak publicly, the elected officials took turns denouncing “the horror of the situation in Israel” to the media. “To see that families have been taken hostage is disgusting, disgusting, it gives you goosebumps,” explained Martine Vassal, president of the metropolis. “It is 9/11 and the Bataclan is united,” whispered Renaud Muselier, the region’s president, worried about “an externalization of the conflict.” After the ceremony, representatives of the Jewish community and elected officials were to be welcomed in the prefecture of Bouches-du-Rhône to discuss the safety of places of worship and communities in Marseille.
In the crowd that filled Prefectural Square at the end of the afternoon, there were few protesters who had no personal connection to Israel. “My children and grandchildren are here,” says Clément Yana, honorary president of CRIF Marseille-Provence. “We have been in constant communication with them since Saturday. Those near Tel Aviv are doing well. “Reaching my grandson at the Lebanese border is more complicated,” he continues. Patrick Azoulay, 62, tells of the sadness that overwhelmed him when he learned of the attacks: “My niece was in Egypt to celebrate her birthday. She was exfiltrated by Israeli security services. » Michèle Azoulay, her cousin, remembers her aunt, a resident of Sderot, who “thought it was an earthquake” when the first rockets began to fall.
“The violence of the attacks surprised me. We know that Israel is at war. But here we are talking about a death toll three times higher than in the Bataclan and we are not yet at the end of the day,” adds Patrick Azoulay through gritted teeth, wanting “the world to recognize that this is terrorism.” here no religion. And it must be eradicated.” Everyone is more concerned about the situation in Israel than about the conflict spreading to France and Marseilles, but they still call for vigilance. Michèle Azoulay fears a “rise in anti-Semitism” and is surprised that the departmental union of the CGT, author of a press release in which she denounced the “colonial policy of Israel” that afternoon, was able to call for a show of solidarity with Palestine the next day. “Every time there is a problem in the Middle East, there is a risk of spillover,” acknowledges Clément Yana, saying he is “for everyone to maintain solidarity without falling into communal violence.”
Gilles Rof (Marseille, correspondent)