Powerline notes that during a recent concert hosted by the wife of Jacques Chirac, a singer with Israeli citizenship was heckled with cries of “Dirty Jew” and “Death to Jews” in eastern town of Macon.
Of course, we all know that there’s no anti-Semitism in France, and that it’s all the JewsZionists fault anyway. Why comparing the Israelis with Nazis and burning Jewish schools is the height of enlightened public discourse!
The French government has taken token steps towards relieving racial tensions, but the way in which casual anti-Semitism in the guise of anti-Zionism has creeped into French life is deeply troubling. The oldest prejudice is alive in well in France, and deplorable actions like the one witnessed in Macon are but symptoms of that illness.
The real question that should be asked is what makes this one incident so unique or newsworthy? Yes France has anti-semites, so does much of Europe, so does the United States. In the height of synagogue burnings, it was clear that special scrutiny needed to be placed on France and how its justice system coped with the bigotry and violence. Right now though, after the hardline justice measures adopted by interior minister Nikolas Sarkozy, as well as the recent addendums to French school curriculum which brought in new multi-cultural perspectives to French schools, it seems that the French criticism is playing a dated tune. France has taken positive steps to fight anti-semitism and large swathes of the American right wing will never (choose) to see that.
The problems with anti-Semitism in France aren’t really things that can be legislated away. It’s the attitude in which casual anti-Semitism has become all too common in France so long as it is cloaked in the guise of anti-Zionism. While certainly France deserves credit for taking some positive steps, it doesn’t address the fundamental problem. Banning hijabs in public schools isn’t the answer, but addressing the way in which anti-Semitism has become casually acceptable is.
By the way, the jewish school that burned few weeks ago: I think the inquiry is still going on, and you’d better no try to predict who burned it, because I don’t think you would ever publish an erratum when the “insurance fraud” theory (most likely theory today) will be revealed…
Jay, you are so anti-french, I don’t know how you could blame someone for being “anti-anyone” as you.