March for the Republic and Against Antisemitism
2023 protest against antisemitism in France
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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.
| 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 | |||
| |||
Background
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
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
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]
Unlike other presidents at previous marches against antisemitism, Emmanuel Macron did not attend the rally. [12]
