French government launches consultations on fighting anti-Semitism

France has launched consultations to fight anti-Semitism – inviting the heads of religious groups as well as anti-discrimination NGOs to share their experiences and discuss ways to tackle increasing hostility against Jewish people.  

The French ministry that deals with discrimination said the aim of Monday's consultations was to define a common base of national values against anti-Semitism.

“When we see the unfortunate volume of anti-Semitic acts, we think the whole of society must wake up,” Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Minister Aurore Bergé told French TV news channel BFMTV, referring to a “terrifying resurgence”.

Bergé is the official tasked with bringing together the heads of anti-discrimination groups, including the Jewish students' union UEJF and anti-racist groups Licra and SOS Racisme, and representatives of the six main religions.

The consultations were announced in March as a response to a column published by the NGO Nous Vivrons (We Will Live) in which 70 well-known people called on candidates for the upcoming EU elections to commit themselves to the fight against anti-Semitism.

No political leader will be present at the consultations.

Uptick in attacks

According to a report by the Council of Jewish Institutions in France (Crif), attacks against French Jews increased in 2023 to 1,676 compared to 436 in 2022.

An Ifop survey for the French branch of the American Jewish Committee published in May found that 94 percent of French people of Jewish faith believe that anti-Semitism has increased over the past decade.

Thie same survey showed that 35 percent of people aged 18-24 felt it was “justified” to take on French Jews because of their real or supposed support for the Israeli government.

At the global level, the Anti-Defamation League, the main group defending Jewish rights, expressed alarm at the “unprecedented level” of anti-Semitic acts recorded in 2023 – with the war between Hamas and Israel fuelling a “fire which was already out of control".

Jointly written with Tel Aviv University, the report said anti-Semitic incidents in 2023 were far above 2022 figures in most countries with large Jewish minorities, including the United States, France, Britain, Australia, Italy, Brazil and Mexico.

“Being Jewish does not make a person responsible for the situation in Gaza,” Bergé told France Info.