Francois Hollande reaffirms: ‘We will protect Jewish community’
France must offer its protection and affection to the Jewish community amid rising anti-Semitism, President Francois Hollande has said.
“Jewish are at home in France, it’s the anti-Semites who have no place into the Republic,” Mr Hollande told a prestigious annual dinner of the country’s main Jewish group.
Many French Jews feel increasingly worried about anti-Semitism, particularly coming from young Muslims who embrace radical ideology propagated online.
France has Europe’s largest Jewish population, about half a million. More than 7,000 emigrated to Israel last year.
Mr Hollande told the French Jewish Institutions Representative Council (CRIF) event that acts against Muslims were also on the rise in France. About 10,000 soldiers and police forces were protecting synagogues, but also mosques, schools and cultural centres, the president said, adding that they would stay mobilised “as long as necessary”.
The Paris dinner was dogged by controversy when France’s Muslim leaders refused to attend over comments by the CRIF’s leader associating young Muslims with violence.
Roger Cukierman, who was criticising a growing number of acts against Jews in France, stressed that he was talking about a “very small minority” of Muslims.
The French Muslim Council (CFCM) condemned Mr Cukierman’s comments as unfounded, including his use of the expression “Islamo-fascism”.
Mr Cukierman explained later that he was specifically thinking of the authors of recent terrorist attacks in Paris and Copenhagen who had “claimed allegiance” to Islam. “Jews and Muslims, we are all in the same boat,” he said.
Leaders of the CFCM have attended the event since the creation of the CFCM in 2003.
This year’s event comes amid increasing fears of anti-Semitism and religious tension in France after attacks by Islamic extremists against a kosher market and satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.
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.
