French President Macron lamented the “resurgence of rampant anti-Semitism” ahead of Sunday’s rally.
Ahead of a major demonstration against Jew-hatred planned for Sunday in Paris, President Emmanuel Macron complained about the rise of anti-Semitism in France. In a letter to the French published on Saturday night by the newspaper Le Parisien, Macron condemned the “unbearable resurgence of rampant anti-Semitism”.
“A France in which our fellow Jews are afraid is not France,” Macron wrote. “A France in which the French people are afraid because of their religion or origin is not France.” The march against anti-Semitism in Paris should show that France is united “behind its values and its universalism”.
Tens of thousands of people are expected at Sunday’s demonstration. Since the start of the war between radical Islamists Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Israel, French authorities have recorded almost 1,250 anti-Semitic crimes, including insults and graffiti, as well as acts of violence. The presidents of both chambers of parliament called for the demonstration in the French capital.
The left-wing populist party La France Insoumise (LFI) wants to boycott the march, while the right-wing populist Marine Le Pen has called on her supporters to take part. According to the Ministry of the Interior, more than 3,000 police officers will provide security at the demonstration. Further demonstrations are expected in several other French cities.