French Jews Come to Their Senses and Vote for the National Rally

Peloni:  Fitzgerald is quite correct as there should be no difficulty in identifying which parties reflect the best future for the Jews of France, as the distinctions could not possibly be more starkly defined than in this election.  Eliminating the political opposition as a legitimate electoral choice, needlessly results eliminating any consequence to the ‘legitimate’ parties when they act to denude the interests and safeguards extended to the Jewish community, as has been increasingly the case over the past more than a decade in France.  This institutionalized presumption by the Left that the Jews would vote for them no matter what they might do provided them with the institutionalized protection to abuse the Jews needlessly as they extended their interests and policies to win such allies to which the Jews should have not only objected, but should have had them voting for the opposition parties.  In every democracy, participating equitably in the electoral process should be understood to be a duty more than an option for all citizens.  For the Jewish community in particular, this duty should be fully embraced by rewarding those who promise and enforce protection to the Jewish community, while also penalizing those who act to abandon those protections, as has been the case by the Left for far too long to maintain any faith or support from the French Jews.

Hugh Fitzgerald | July 1, 2024

French Jews have long been wary of the parties of the right, parties that historically have welcomed antisemites and even some collaborators as members. Jean-Marie Le Pen, the father of Marine Le Pen and the founder of the far-right National Front, will always be remembered by French Jews for repeatedly describing the Nazi gas chambers as a mere “detail” of World War II. His daughter broke with him over this remark, denouncing him and expelling him from the party. Since then, she has had nothing to do with him personally or politically. Still, French Jews have been wary of supporting Marine Le Pen — until now. They have finally come to their senses. They have seen during the last eight months how Marine Le Pen and another rightist political figure, Eric Zemmour of the Conquête Party, have attacked Hamas and supported Israel. They now understand that the greatest threat to their wellbeing in France comes from both the burgeoning Muslim population, and from the hard-left Jean-Luc Mélenchon, head of the political party La France Insoumise, who attacks Israel, defends Hamas, and opposes any limits on Muslim immigration. More on French Jews and their political turn to the right can be found here: “French Jews turn to far-right National Rally: ‘We’re voting for the nicest enemy,’” by Michael Starr, Jerusalem Post, June 30, 2024:

Many French Jews are turning away from their prior political mainstays and are voting for the right-wing National Rally in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, Jewish Paris resident David told The Jerusalem Post, as problems arising from immigration and cultural change have risen to the forefront of political discussion.

“Cultural change” is a veiled reference to the effect on French society and culture of millions of Muslims now living in the Hexagon and receiving a cornucopia of benefits from the French state. Many, perhaps most, of them do not wish to integrate into the larger society,, nor to obey French laws or accept French mores, convinced as they are that the French, as Infidels, are the “most vile of created beings.”

David said that everyone in his synagogue was voting for National Rally, as were many other religious Jew he knew. Many of his leftist Jewish friends were either voting for right parties of not voting at all.

“We’re voting for the nicest enemy,” said David, referring to National Rally’s founder’s controversies with Holocaust denial and antisemitism. “It is very hard to vote for them [National Rally], who wants to vote for those who have a history with Nazis.”…

David is confused. Jean-Marie Le Pen founded the National Front, not the National Rally (Rassemblement National). The National Rally’s head, Marine Le Pen, has no “history with Nazis.” It is her father who made an intolerable remark about the Nazi gas chambers being a mere “detail” of World War II, and for that she expelled him from the party, and has had nothing to do with him ever since.

“France has changed so much in the last 10 years,” said David. “The French are not having children.”…

The fertility rate of French women is now 1.8, well below the replacement level of 2.1. The fertility rate for Muslim women in France is 2.9.

“The French don’t deserve a man like Zemmour,” said David, describing the leader of Algerian Jewish extraction as an intelligent man who had a passionate love for French culture and society. Zemmour had long warned about how increasing immigration could change the character of the republic’s culture.

Moving from the Left to the right is a dramatic change for some French Jews, who David said had been left with a difficult choice — But difficult or not, based on what David said, his friends have made the choice all the same.

I disagree with David. French Jews do not have a difficult choice. If they wish to have a future in France, there is only one party that is both willing, and able, to call a halt to mass Muslim immigration. That is the National Rally.