Allegations of ‘anti-Semitism’ in French elections – Arab News

In the French election campaign, it is not common for external factors to influence the choices of male and female voters, but the Gaza war has become one of the factors that determine the direction of the vote of some French people. In the parliamentary elections, this shows the “Frenchization” of the document.

First, we find that the political media propaganda does not place what happened on October 7th in the context of a “clash between occupiers and occupiers”, but rather sees it as a “clash of civilizations between good and evil forces”. As for the evil forces, they are the Islamist movements, so October 7th is associated on the one hand with terrorist attacks against France, in particular at the “Supernova” festival and the attack on the “Bataclan” theater on November 13, 2015. In addition to the implicit goals and intentions that prompted this comparative process, the result can be attributed to a sentiment: a significant part of the French population believes that what happened on October 7th became a continuation of France’s internal security challenges, in other words, Israel and France face the same enemy.

On the other hand, it is well known that the accusation of anti-Semitism is always levelled against anyone who “fails to demonstrate absolute solidarity with Israel”, simply because he adopts a different interpretation or uses his own words. One of France’s “major sins” is a lingering shame, both for individuals and institutions.

In summary, French President Macron and his inner circle did not hesitate to target the “New Popular Front” alliance established by the French left-wing parties, and decided to run in the election on this basis. Parliamentary elections achieve unity by dividing constituencies and proposing a common program.

The fact that the “Proud France” movement has taken positions closer to the Palestinian people than to the Israelis has subjected it to an intense media and political campaign aimed at demonizing it in every way and accusing it of “anti-Semitism”. The left-wing parties that are today part of the “New Popular Front” have contributed to this. In order to undermine the credibility of this left-wing alliance, Macron saw nothing more appropriate than targeting it from the point of view of curbing anti-Semitic parties.

Opponents of the New Popular Front could undermine its credibility and question its ability to hold power from other angles, such as by addressing the speed with which the coalition was formed or focusing on internal disputes between parties and leaders, which amount to little more than a media squabble, but turning the war in Gaza into the “first weapon” to be wielded against opponents in an internal electoral struggle is significant. The far-right parties, especially the National Rally, not only participated in this campaign against their left-wing opponents, but also saw it as a great opportunity to eliminate one of the most prominent obstacles to their holding power in France.

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The history of anti-Semitism of the National Rally party is well known, especially as it is the successor to the National Front party founded by Jean-Marie Le Pen and some old Nazis, but the “de-demonization” strategy pursued by Marine Le Pen to gain power requires erasing this page from history, which is what Operation Al-Aqsa Flood provides.

Not content with its absolute bias on the Israeli side, the National Rally party entered the political bid presenting itself as the “best shield to protect French Jews”, thus overcoming one of the most prominent obstacles that prevented it from reaching power. The National Unity party seized the opportunity and turned the Gaza war into one of its tools for coming to power. Of course, this is not the way to lead to a qualitative change in French political life. The aforementioned party forms the next government, but it certainly contributed in consolidating the progress that had been made over the years: the party attracted the votes of a section of male and female voters who reacted to its proposals, but its history of anti-Semitism prevented it from winning the election. The action of October 7th therefore arrived and destroyed these obstacles. On the other hand, since October 7th the “Proud France” movement has been facing a media offensive aimed at portraying it as the “first anti-Semitic French party”, an offensive that is full of major question marks, especially since the accusation was not accompanied by the filing of a lawsuit, which reinforced the hypothesis of “defamation”. Above all, the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation rearranged the internal French situation after the signs of a reorganization of the so-called “Republican Front” appeared.

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In French political literature, the term “Republican Front” is used to reject the extreme right in France, as they do not share the political and moral values ​​that the French parties share. Some media and some public figures claim that the “Tajamou” party “successfully passed the final moral test” and can therefore be considered part of the “Republican Front”. The almost contrived insistence on “handing over the banner of anti-Semitism” to the “Republican Front” movement has separated it from the “Republican Front”. Macron’s decision to call early parliamentary elections has accelerated the emergence of this new situation: a major obstacle to the National Unity Party’s governance has been cleared, while a new obstacle has emerged in the way of the National Unity Party’s governance. The “Proud France” movement and the French left in general.

The most striking evidence is that some political forces announced that in some regions they would approve voting for the “New Popular Front” candidate, unless the candidate belonged to the “Proud France” movement, and he made it clear that even if the return was a victory for the “National Rally” candidate, it was rejected. This intersects with some articles and surveys that monitor the mood of certain circles in the French streets, and even what is posted on personal accounts on social media.

Hassan Murad

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original: https://rb.gy/esf4p2