PARIS (AP) — French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has set off a cacophony of criticism over her plans to attend a weekend march to protest rising antisemitism in France, with critics saying that her once-pariah party has failed to shake off its antisemitic heritage despite growing political legitimacy.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, numerous political parties and citizens are to attend the Sunday march. Le Pen has said that she and her National Rally party also will be there, in what some see as an attempt to leverage the Israel-Hamas war to make herself more palatable to mainstream voters.
Remember, a call for a “march against antisemitism” in a mostly white ex-colonial power from a right wing extremist is just code for illegal imprison and murder of immigrants, refugees, brown people, and political dissidents. Don’t fall for the fascist dog whistle.
And also to delegitimize true antisemitism and protests against antisemitism.
