French president says surge in
antisemitic attacks was unprecedented since World War Two
Shehab Khan
Emmanuel Macron has
declared anti-Zionism a
form of antisemitism as
he ramps up France’s
crackdown on racism against Jewish people.
Speaking at the 34th annual
dinner of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France, Mr
Macron said a surge in antisemitic attacks in his country had not been
seen since World War Two.
He promised a new law to
tackle hate speech on the internet and said France would adopt the
definition of antisemitism set by the International Holocaust Remembrance
Alliance (IHRA).
The IHRA definition does not
use the phrase "anti-Zionism" but does say denying the Jewish people
their right to self-determination "e.g., by claiming that the existence of
a State of Israel is a racist endeavour," is antisemitic.
Some critics of Israel, its
occupation of territory internationally recognised as Palestinian, and its
isolation of the Gaza Strip, say they risk being unfairly branded antisemitic,
although the IHRA definition says: "criticism of Israel similar to that
levelled against any other country" is not.
Mr Macron's words were well
received from the World Jewish Congress which said: "This is just the
beginning of a long road ahead. Adopting this definition of anti-Semitism must
be followed by concrete steps to encode into law and ensure that this is
enforced."
The IHRA definition is not
legally binding but does serve as an international guideline.
Germany and Britain adopted
the definition in texts in 2016, though the European Union adopted a softer
tone, calling the IHRA definition a "guidance tool" amid concern from
some member states that it could make criticism of Israeli policy, particularly
with regards to Palestinians, difficult.
Mr Macron said France would
not change its laws relating to antisemitism and
that recognising the IHRA's definition must not be seen as a means of
preventing people from criticising the Israeli government.
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