Is France very anti-sematic currently?

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Luv Thy Neighbour!

In the past year there has been an increase in Anti-Semitic "incidents", such as damaging Jewish businesses and synagogues and specifically hurting Jews (and making anti-Semitic comments to them) according to up to date reports.
(it is Holocaust memorial day today, that's how I know)

Rillifane

Anti-Semitism has a long history in France that continues up to the present day. France also has a long history of people who have stood up to demand toleration and denounce anti-Semitism. France is not anti-semitic although many Frenchmen may be.

Jews have held positions of authority in France, Leon Blum, for example, was Premier immediately prior to World War II. Yet there were always also people who hated this fact. Thus, it was commonly said in France during the late 1930's "Better Hitler than Blum" as these people preferred that France be conquered by Hitler than live in a nation with a Jewish head of Government.

During the Vichy regime, the French cooperated enthusiastically with the Nazis to send French Jews to their deaths. The number of active collaboraters vastly exceeded the number of those in the Resistance and much of this can be attributed to the attraction that many felt to the anti-semitism of the Nazis.

After the war, numerous people assisted in hiding Vichy war criminals and many Vichy officials were given positions in the new French government.

Today, the presence of a large and militant Muslim community exacerbates the situatiom and there and more than a few non-Muslim Frenchmen who, under the guise of supporting the Palestinians, are openly anti-semitic.

On the other hand, when a recent killing of a Jewish man in Paris was seen to be an act of anti-semitism there were mass demonstrations everywhere in France denouncing it.

I prefer to believe that those demonstrators, as heirs to the Revolutionary notion of Liberty, Equality and Brotherhood, represent the real France. Certainly that is the France that I love.

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joeyramoney1

i know they have a lot of muslims and they tend to be pretty prejudiced toward them.

Nicoco

I think anti-sematic 'incidents' are extreme and generally people are not anti-sematic.

Most french people are rather atheist (or agnostic), so they'll argue with you that God doesn't exist, and think your choice is a bit crazy, whether you're a muslim, jew or christian.

Laughing Annabella

It is difficult to give a simple answer to this question. Some people would say that France is anti-semitic, and others would say no. I think it all depends on the area. Not in Paris itself, I would say, or in big cities in general. In some areas around Paris, probably, yes, unfortunately.

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