France’s Macron meets Jewish leaders as yellow vests under fire over anti-Semitism
French President Emmanuel Macron is set to meet leaders of the Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF) on Wednesday, a day after thousands of people across France protested against anti-Semitism.
During the dinner, Macron is expected to announce several measures to tackle a recent hike in anti-Semitic attacks.
On Tuesday, Macron visited 96 tombstones that had been spray-painted with blue and yellow swastikas in a cemetery in the Alsace region near Germany.
“We shall act, we shall pass laws, we shall punish,” Macron said.
‘Yellow vest’ anti-Semitism
The government has linked a 74 percent rise in anti-Semitic crimes in 2018 compared to 2017 to factions within the “yellow vest” movement. The leaderless group has held weekly rallies against Macron’s presidency and poor living standards since November.
Shimon Samuels, a director at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish human rights organization, told DW that anti-Semites had “hijacked” the yellow vest movement.
“The yellow vests today are being invaded and hijacked by those on one side who are vandals and want to break into shop windows and those on the other hand who are extremists who attack Jews,” he said.
Last week, video footage of a yellow vest protester shouting abuse at Jewish philosopher Alain Finkielkraut spread on social media. Police have since arrested a suspect.
A recent poll by Ifop found that nearly half of the “yellow vest” supporters who were questioned believed in a worldwide “Zionist plot.”
Middle East factor
Samuels said the politics of the Israel-Palestinian conflict had also stirred anti-Semitism among France’s Muslim youth and contributed to the rise in anti-Jewish incidents.
“They’re playing this out, transplanting the Middle East to Europe, and that all obviously is creating a spike in anti-Semitic attacks,” he said.
He added that Macron should consider placing armed guards outside synagogues and Jewish schools as part of his efforts to tackle the problem.
amp/msh (dpa, AFP)
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/france-s-macron-meets-jewish-leaders-as-yellow-vests-under-fire-over-anti-semitism/a-47605750?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf