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| Assembled against antisemitism: pic Fabrice Valery, France 3 |
Answering the call of some 20 political and social organisations several thousand people attended a demonstration in Toulouse yesterday. Assembled by the Holocaust memorial the manifestation was in answer to the rising rate of antisemitism in France. Several recent events have highlighted this phenomenon, such as the abuse of a leading Jewish philosopher, the defacing of the images of Simone Veil, the desecration of a Jewish cemetery in the Bas Rhin and damage to the memorial to Ilan Halimi a young man tortured to death about 4 years ago. Government statistics suggest a 74% increase in such incidents in 2018.
Wherever the cause of this lies, and many wild theories have been advanced from the Gilets Jaunes to deliberate government misinformation, it is a symptom of the ever more toxic politics being driven by the "populist" right and ultra left wing groups.
The manifestants in Toulouse and many other cities show that right-minded citizens will not tolerate these abusive scapegoating actions, whether against Jews, gays or migrants.
