Death threats, stars of David painted on Jewish shops - the life of French Jews has become difficult in recent weeks, and the fear is only increased by the refusal of the left to condemn the terrorists.
Since France's Muslim immigrant community is an important constituency for the French left, the support for Israel on the part of these parties would go badly, writes Politico, adding that this is an opportunity for the anti-Islamist Le Pen, who can now "normalize" her relationship with the world with its third largest Jewish community.
After the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, which claimed 1,400 lives. Le Pen stated: Israel has the right to destroy Hamas.
Jordan Bardella, the president of the National Consolidation, put it this way: the party provides protection for many French Jews against Islamist ideology.
In contrast, the far-left La France Insoumise (Unbreakable France) reacted to the terrorist attacks by Hamas as if Israel were responsible for them, calling Hamas a "resistance movement".
Politico reminds us that all this means a major reorganization: Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of the National Front, the predecessor of the right-wing National Compact, was famous for his anti-Semitic jokes. His daughter, Marine Le Pen, has been seriously trying to transform the party from this point of view as well, since her father retired in 2015.
On October 7, when there was a huge march next to Israel in Paris, many politicians joined, but only relatively unknown representatives from the National Compact appeared, because it was previously that Le Pen was not welcome at a commemoration for a Holocaust survivor who was stabbed to death in 2018. The party leaders therefore decided on a more discreet solution.
According to Serge Dahan, vice-president of CRIF, the Jewish organization that organized the march, the National Compact's attitude was "restrained" and did not instrumentalize the march, but at the same time, they are still afraid of anti-Semitism possibly hiding in the party.
Dahan added: In some parts of Europe, neo-Nazis are the danger, but elsewhere, for example in France and Belgium, Islamist movements are the new source of anti-Semitism.
According to a new survey by Ipsos, the French consider far-leftists more dangerous than Le Pen. Marine Le Pen's support also increased in the previous weeks. However, the presidential election is still far away, it will be held in 2027.
Cover image: X/Marin Le Pen
