France fears that the Israeli conflict will somehow extend to French territory, where there is an important Jewish community. There have been fifty anti-Semitic acts since Saturday. The Government spokesman, Olivier Véran, warned this Wednesday that Paris wants to “avoid an escalation” and prevent “the conflict from being imported” to France.. He has insisted that the Jewish community has “full protection.”
This warning comes after it is known that there are 20 detainees for the anti-Semitic attacks committed since last weekend on French soil.. Three foreigners who are going to be expelled from the country for this. The data was given by the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, who visited a Jewish school near Paris on Wednesday accompanied by the Minister of Education, Gabriel Attal.
At the moment, security has been reinforced in about 500 sensitive places, synagogues and Jewish schools.. About 10,000 gendarmes and police are watching them, according to the Interior.. In France, anti-Semitic acts are not isolated. 90% of students of this religious denomination say they have been victims of some act or threat, according to a survey by the IFOP study center commissioned by the Union of Jewish Students of France (UEJF).
On Monday a demonstration was held in Paris in support of this population. On Thursday there are two calls in support of Palestine, but they have been prohibited by the Police Prefecture considering that they could be conflictive and, above all, end in an apology for anti-Semitism. On Tuesday, some rallies were dispersed, also under the Palestinian flag for this reason.
The New Anti-Capitalist Party, for example, is being investigated for advocating anti-Semitism and terrorism after showing its support for “the Palestinian resistance” after the Hamas attacks, which it did not condemn.. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne recalled yesterday that “France will not tolerate any anti-Semitic act or statement.”
“We will use all means to protect our compatriots,” Darmanin recalled during his visit to the Jewish school.. The head of Education, Gabriel Attal, has indicated that “the priority today is to guarantee security in educational centers”. He cited several “totally unacceptable” situations that have occurred these days, such as the case of a class where a student drew a swastika on a blackboard against a Jewish student.
The positioning in the face of the conflict divides the political class. Emmanuel Macron and members of the Government have condemned the terrorist attacks without fissures. The left is divided, especially after the ambiguous statements of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of La Francia Insumisa, on the matter. He compared the Hamas attacks to the Israeli occupation.
These words have generated discomfort within the Socialist Party, with whom it shares an alliance in the French Assembly. There is also controversy at the other extreme, where the silence and absence of far-right politicians at last Monday's demonstration has been criticized.. There were, among others, former president Nicolas Sarkozy, former prime minister Manuel Valls and the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.
Meanwhile, anguish grows over the twenty Franco-Israelis missing in Israel, of whom there has been no news since Saturday. It is feared that they are kidnapped by Hamas. For now, the French Foreign Ministry has confirmed the death of eight French citizens, although without detailing the circumstances or their identity. A flight has been organized on Thursday to begin the repatriation of French people from the country.