More than 100,000 march in Paris against soaring antisemitism amid Israel-Hamas war
NPR Online NewsNov 12, 2023
The Facts
More than 180K people across France, including at least 100K in Paris, took to the streets on Sunday to protest against a surge in antisemitism following Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks on Israel and Tel Aviv's subsequent bombing of the Gaza Strip.
Among the first to announce their presence at the protest, called by leaders of the Senate and the National Assembly, were the far right's Marine Le Pen, three-time presidential candidate for the National Rally (formerly the National Front), and the party's young president, Jordan Bardella.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Amid rising levels of antisemitic attacks in France, Sunday's show of solidarity against such discrimination is a powerful symbol of solidarity with Jewish citizens and reminder that France's political establishment is united in its support for conflict resolution. Given the nation's complex history with antisemitism during the Second World War, fostering social cohesion is crucial to the ongoing health of French society.
Establishment-critical narrative
The support of France's political establishment for this protest should be met with skepticism, especially given the fact that the roots of Marine Le Pen's own party lie in antisemitism. Politicians have been accused of opportunistically utilizing the boycott to enhance their own reputations, while the hard-left — which boycotted the demonstration — have highlighted that emphasis on opposing antisemitism and 'Islamic Fundamentalism' is taking up space in the national debate which should be focused on calling for ceasefire in Gaza.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that at least 111K US Jews will move to Israel by 2050, according to the Metaculus prediction community.