A massive crowd gathered for an anti-Semitism march in Paris on Sunday. French authorities have reported over 1,000 anti-Jewish acts around the country within the past month during the conflict in the Middle East.
More than 100,000 people marched in Paris on Sunday to protest against rising anti-Semitism following Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and representatives of several political parties attended the march amid tight security. The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, did not attend but expressed his support for the protest and denounced the resurgence of anti-Semitism. The leader of the far-left France Unbowed party, Jean-Luc Melenchon, however, stayed away from the march.
The French authorities deployed 3,000 police troops along the route of the protest given the increase in anti-Semitic acts in France. The country holds the largest Jewish population in Europe and, due to its collaboration with Nazis during World War II, there is concern about the rise in anti-Semitic acts. The march was held to show support and solidarity against violence and anti-Semitism.
French authorities have reported more than 1,000 anti-Jewish acts around the country since the conflict in the Middle East began. French President Emmanuel Macron vowed that perpetrators will be prosecuted and punished, and urged the country to remain “united behind its values”.