‘Petty Politics’ — French Far-Left Blasted for Boycotting Bipartisan Paris Protest Against Antisemitism

TOPSHOT - French Senate President Gerard Larcher (7thL), President of the French National
HOMAS SAMSON/AFP via Getty Images
Kurt Zindulka

The French far-left has been criticised for boycotting a bipartisan demonstration against antisemitism as over 100,000 took to the streets of Paris on Sunday to denounce the rise in hatred against Jews.

Amid soaring incidents of antisemitism throughout France, over 70 rallies were held throughout the country in solidarity with the nation’s Jewish population. According to the Ministry of the Interior, over 182,000 people rallied in total, with approximately 105,000 in Paris.

The slogan “For the Republic, against anti-Semitism” was chanted throughout the nation, Le Figaro reported. It came in response to hundreds of antisemitic incidents being recorded in the wake of the murderous Hamas terror attacks on Israel last month.

However, the cross-party demonstration was marred by a boycott of the far-left La France Insoumise (LFI) parliamentary party, which objected to the presence of former presidential candidate Marine Le Pen and other members of her right-wing populist Rassemblement National (National Rally) party.

The leftist party of socialist Jean-Luc Mélenchon justified their boycott based on comments made in the 1980s denying aspects of the Holocaust by Le Pen’s father and former National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, who was expelled from the party by his daughter in 2015 over his controversial remarks.

French far-right party Rassemblement National (RN) member of Parliament Marine Le Pen (C), President of French far-right party Rassemblement National (RN) Jordan Bardella (R) and French Far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party's MP Sebastien Chenu (L) march during a demonstration against anti-Semitism in Paris, on November 12, 2023. Tens of thousands are expected to march Sunday in Paris against anti-Semitism amid bickering by political parties over who should take part and a surge in anti-Semitic incidents across France. Tensions have been rising in the French capital, home to large Jewish and Muslim communities, in the wake of the October 7 attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel, followed by a month of Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip. France has recorded nearly 1250 anti-Semitic acts since the attack. National Assembly speaker Yael Braun-Pivet and Gerard Larcher, the Senate speaker, called on November 7 for a "general mobilisation" at the march against the upsurge in anti-Semitism. (Photo by Geoffroy Van der Hasselt / AFP) (Photo by GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP via Getty Images)

Rassemblement National (RN) member of Parliament Marine Le Pen (C), President of Rassemblement National Jordan Bardella and RN party MP Sebastien Chenu march during a demonstration against anti-Semitism in Paris, on November 12, 2023. (Photo by Geoffroy Van der Hasselt / AFP) (Photo by GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP via Getty Images)

Le Pen described the leftist boycott of the march against antisemitism as “petty politics” and added of her own party’s decision to join the demonstration: “We are exactly where we need to be”.

The centrist neo-liberal President of the French Senate and one of the organisers of the cross-party demo, Yaël Braun-Pivet accused leftist leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon “of dirtying everything” by refusing to attend.

PARIS, FRANCE - NOVEMBER 12: Former French Presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande, speaker of the French parliament, Yaël Braun-Pivet and speaker of the Senate, Gérard Larcher form some of the people holding the banner "For the Republique, against anti-Semitism" during a march against anti-Semitismon November 12, 2023 in Paris, France. The march is the initiative of the speaker the French senate, Gerard Larcher and the president of the parliament, Yael Braun-Pivet. All main political parties will attend but the leader of extreme left wing party, La France Insoumise, or France Unbowed, Jean-Luc Melenchon, has ruled out participating calling those who attend friends of unconditional support for the massacre. Some are also calling for the Rassemblement National, the right wing political party led by Marine Le Pen, to not participate as they see the past of the party and former political stance an impediment to join the march. France has seen a significant increase in anti-Semitic incidents since the war in Gaza started over four weeks ago. (Photo by Remon Haazen/Getty Images)

PARIS, FRANCE – NOVEMBER 12: Former French Presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande, speaker of the French parliament, Yaël Braun-Pivet and speaker of the Senate, Gérard Larcher form some of the people holding the banner “For the Republique, against anti-Semitism” during a march against anti-Semitismon November 12, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Remon Haazen/Getty Images)

The LFI boycott was also criticised by populist writer and former Reconquête! presidential candidate Eric Zemmour for their “sectarian” behaviour, adding: “It’s cheeky of these people who did everything to ensure that there were more immigrants in our country. I find that indecent of them.”

For her part, Marine Le Pen’s niece, Marion Maréchal, who will represent Reconquest! in the European elections next year, criticised the “antisemitic ambiguity” of the far-left and that “on our soil, a population closer to Hamas than to our Jewish compatriots”.

While many leftists refused to join the march against antisemitism, at least forty far-left street radicals attempted to mob Le Pen at the march while singing “We are getting rid of the extreme right,” before being dragged away by police.

Despite former French presidents, including Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande as well as current Prime Minister Elizabeth Borne, attending the demonstration on Sunday, President Emmanuel Macron refrained from joining.

Instead, Macron addressed the nation in a letter published in the Le Parisien newspaper, decrying “the unbearable resurgence of unbridled anti-Semitism”, adding: “A France where our Jewish citizens are afraid is not France.”

Follow Kurt Zindulka on Twitter: or e-mail to: kzindulka@breitbart.com

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