Europe’s far-right joins rallying cry against antisemitism, unsettling some Jews
- The move is part of a strategy used by far-right politicians in Europe to help bolster their anti-migration agenda while rebutting suggestions they are racist
- Some French Jewish figures have supported the move to abandon antisemitism, while critics have accused politicians like Marine Le Pen of political opportunism
When more than 100,000 people marched in Paris against antisemitism on Sunday, one political group joining the crowd stood out – far-right Rassemblement National supporters with their leader, Marine Le Pen.
Their appearance was all the more remarkable considering Le Pen’s father, National Front founder Jean-Marie, was convicted of inciting racial hatred for saying the gas chambers used to kill Jews during the Holocaust were “merely a detail in the history of the Second World War”.
The march is the most striking sign to date that Le Pen’s strategy to normalise the party’s image is working, taking down one more barrier in her quest for respectability and boosting her chances in future elections, analysts say.
The shift is part of a strategy, being used by other far-right politicians in Europe including in Italy, Germany and Britain, to help bolster their anti-migration agenda while rebutting suggestions they are racist.
In France, analysts say Le Pen has implemented it so effectively that it is breaking the glass barrier many said blocked the far-right from coming to power – a prospect that is horrifying critics who accuse her of political opportunism and of hiding her party’s true colours.