French far-right leader Marine Le Pen raises a storm over her plan to march against antisemitism

PARIS — 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. Government spokesman Olivier Veran said Wednesday that Marine Le Pen’s party “does not have a place” at what is dubbed as a “grand civic march.” However, he noted that the march is public and that “everyone is free, in his conscience, to participate or not.” The march was called by the leaders of the Senate and parliament’s lower house, the National Assembly, amid an alarming increase in anti-Jewish acts in France since the start of Israel’s war against Hamas after its Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel. House Speaker Yael Braun-Pivet, who called for the march with the Senate leader, said on TF1 television Wednesday night that no political parties had been invited but that she won’t march “next to” Le Pen. Both Zemmour’s party and Le Pen’s take aim at what the far right calls a migrant “submersion,” mainly Muslims, and voice fears that the French way of life is being upended. French President Emmanuel Macron, addressing the far right without naming anyone, said in a speech Wednesday before the nation’s Freemasons that “some pretend to support our Jewish compatriots by confusing the rejection of Muslims and the support of Jews.” This is not the first time the political class has kept Le Pen at arms length during marches.