French far-right leader to i24NEWS: 'We are the last defense for French Jews'
Le Pen says she was first to 'warn of Islamic anti-Semitism,' as Israel tells French Jews to 'come home'
Marine Le Pen, leader of France's most popular far-right faction Rassemblement National (National Rally) said her movement was the only one to request the "eradication of Islamic fundamentalism," and therefore protect French Jews.
Taking credit for being the first one to blow the whistle on the rise of Islamic anti-Semitism, she blasted France's government's inaction on the topic.
"They let imams make speeches that directly implicate Jews, and they let families live in neighborhoods where they are at risk," Le Pen said.
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The leader was speaking to i24NEWS's French service just as a mass rally was taking place in Paris against anti-Semitism - a rally to which every member of the political class was invited, except for her and another far-right leader.
A vehement verbal attack against French Jewish intellectual Alain Finkelkraut on the sidelines of yellow vests protest days before sparked popular indignation in France, following weeks of shocking reports of rising anti-Semitism in a country that is home to the third largest Jewish population in the world.
Rallies were held across the country, with many raising concerns regarding anti-Semitism disguising itself as anti-Zionism.
"I refuse to say that this recalls the worst times of our history," Finkelkraut told i24NEWS, "we should stop with all that, I wasn't called a 'dirty Jew'."
"I was insulted because of alleged links with a state described as criminal, even genocidal," he said, referring to Israel. "Some people are possessed with hate for the Jews because they hate Israel," he added, qualifying this hatred as "unfathomable."
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-- 'Anti-Semitism knows no political lines' --
Marine Le Pen's family has been at the forefront of politics in France for decades. Her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, is a firebrand politician, whom she only recently sidelined.
A convicted Holocaust revisionist and alleged war criminal, Le Pen senior founded the National Front - which his daughter rebranded as National Rally last year - and managed to commandeer the patriotic vote.
The party regularly scores big in the presidential elections, which are run at universal suffrage, although it struggles in constituency-based legislative contests.
Jews are caught between a rock and a hard place politically, with popular far-left movements advocating for an anti-Israel stance that is tinged with anti-Semitics tropes.
Most politicians in France were calling for action yesterday, with criminal legislation for anti-zionist abuse being considered.
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-- 'Come home, immigrate to Israel' --
Meanwhile, in Israel, some saw this as another reason to call on French Jews to immigrate.
On the day of the demonstrations, 80 Jewish graves were found desecrated in the Quatzenheim cemetery in the eastern province of Alsace. Taking to Twitter after the discovery, Yoav Gallant, Israel's minister of absorption said it was "reminiscent of dark days in the history of the Jewish people."
"I strongly condemn antisemitism in France and calls on Jews-come home, immigrate to Israel," he added.
The declaration is not uncommon for Israeli politicians, who thought the string of terrorist attacks in France would attract French Jews to the Jewish state. It attracted condemnations from the French establishment
"Their home is France, they are French, and I think this type of declaration is dangerous," a parliamentary majority spokesperson said on French international public radio RFI.
"Our country without Jews would not be the same country. On the contrary, I want us to reaffirm our values, and this is what we did last night," Aurore Bergé said.
"We know there are elections at the moment in Israel, so I believe this is not an entirely disinterested statement," she added.
The president of Israel Reuven Rivlin sent a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday, thanking him for his visit to the Quatzenheim cemetery and the Holocaust memorial in Paris prior to the demonstration.
"Times like these demand clear and strong leadership. [...] Your actions, as well as your words show your serious commitment to oppose anti-Semitism. This is an important message for the people of France and its Jewish community," the letter said.