Le Pen gains see a return to ‘politics of hatred’
Jewish groups have warned that “the politics of hatred are making a comeback” after Marine Le Pen’s far-right French party Front National (FN) made gains in municipal elections this week.
The party won control of 11 towns across the country, as well as the seventh district of France’s second largest city Marseille, whose population of 150,000 made it the party’s biggest win in an election marked by low voter turnout.
“The glass ceiling has been shattered,” declared Le Pen. “No one can seriously deny this has been a huge victory for us.”
However European Jewish groups warned against the potential consequences of the FN’s gains.
Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, President of the Conference of European Rabbis, said: “The French electorate is either not taking the threat from the far right seriously or they do not care.
“In either case, this result should sound alarm bells across Europe that the politics of hatred are making a formidable comeback.”
FN founder and honourary president Jean-Marie Le Pen, the father of the current leader, has several convictions for Holocaust denial and incitement against Jews and other minorities.
However a charm offensive has been launched in recent years, with some European Jewish groups, such as the European Jewish Parliament, having met Le Pen, as she has sought to assuage concerns.
Florian Philippot, the FN’s deputy leader and the party’s spin-doctor, has been instrumental in purging it of its thuggish, anti-Semitic and racist image, trying to replace it with a more acceptable face.
Yet in 2012 Marine Le Pen caused outrage by her call to ban religious headgear, including the kippah, being worn in public, and that kosher and halal food should be banned in schools.
Some groups, such as the Union of Jewish French Students (UEJF) had last week urged the country’s Jewish community to foil the nationalist group’s endeavours.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
