David, a 33-year-old PhD student, has been to all the pro-Palestine demonstrations organised in France since October 7, feeling an urgent need to highlight the suffering of those besieged by Israel in the war in Gaza.
But when Senate and National Assembly presidents Gerard Larcher and Yael Braun-Pivet last week called for a march against anti-Semitism following a surge in anti-Jewish crimes, David decided not to go.
“It was just not a unifying appeal,” he said, speaking in a Paris restaurant.
The issue of mobilising in response to the Israel-Gaza conflict since October 7 has been dominating public life in France.
The state-backed rallies against anti-Semitism have contrasted with smaller opportunities to make pro-Palestinian support a public rallying point.
This stems in part from the national government's hostility towards pro-Palestine rallies.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told local officials to shut them down because they were “likely to disturb public order”.
A court intervened to say protests could be banned only on a case-by-case basis, not merely because they are pro-Palestinian.
However, it upheld the official right to ban a march when there is a “risk of disturbances to public order”, for example if protesters show open support for Hamas or attempt to justify the October 7 attack on Israel.
Prosecutors have already used laws against “justifying terrorism” and “provoking racial hatred” to detain eight youths over anti-Semitic chanting on the Paris metro.
Feelings about the Israel-Gaza war have become influenced by issues such as victimhood, the legacy of the Holocaust and anti-Islamic sentiment in a country with the largest Jewish and Muslim populations of any in Europe.
It has also created a deep political divide, with the far-left accusing the far-right of exploiting anti-Semitism to push anti-Islamic hate speech. The far-right, meanwhile, says the far-left is anti-Semitic.
David’s decision to avoid Sunday's march against anti-Semitism is in part a symbol of how toxic the debate has become.
“There’s a gap between the unanimous disapproval of anti-Semitism and the fact that anti-Islam and anti-Arab hate speech is normalised,” David said.
Many, both Jews and non-Jews, felt it was important to attend the march, which attracted more than 100,000 people on Sunday in Paris.
Failed attempt at unity?
Religious leaders have tried, with limited success, to distance themselves from the debate over what is happening on the streets of France.
They were invited by Mr Macron on Monday to discuss the need to educate the public, particularly France’s youth, on religious tolerance.
"No one can lock themselves in their single suffering – that would mean that society is segmented,” said Chief Rabbi of France Haim Korsia after the meeting.
The rector of the Great Mosque of Paris, Chems-Eddine Hafiz, was quoted by French media highlighting a recent “outburst of anti-Muslim statements".
Yet this attempt at projecting unity quickly fell apart when Abdelali Mamoun, a preacher at the Great Mosque of Paris, appeared to play down the rise in anti-Semitic crimes in a radio interview on Tuesday.
The mosque said it did not share Mr Mamoun’s view, which was described as “indecent” by Elie Korchia, president of the Israelite Central Consistory of France, and as “extremely shocking” by Mr Darmanin.
Struggle for the Jewish vote
The unresolved conflict between Israel and Palestine has regularly caused the political debate in France to become "hysterical", historian Gregoire Kauffmann told national daily newspaper Le Monde.
“We’ve seen more than 1,000 anti-Semitic attacks in a month, and there were 400 in the whole of last year.”
Gerard Unger
What makes a difference this time is the political rivalry formed over support for Israel. Observers see the far-right’s depicting itself as a unifying force as encroaching on the mainstream.
The appearance of far-right leader Marine Le Pen at the march against anti-Semitism came in stark contrast to her father's exclusion from such events.
Jean-Marie Le Pen famously said the Holocaust was a mere "detail" of history. He co-founded his political party, the Front National, with a former member of the Waffen-SS.
His daughter has been sending signals to the Jewish community since 2017, when one of her party's MPs paid his respects at Israel's Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem.
In an attempt to break with the past, she has since changed the party name to The National Rally, which won more than 40 per cent of the vote in last year's presidential election, behind current President Emmanuel Macron's 58.5 per cent.
She is now vying to capture more of the Jewish vote in the 2027 election, with the hope of becoming the next president, said French historian Stephanie Courouble Share.
Her strategy is to bank on the Jewish community's fears after a wave of targeted attacks that include a 2012 shooting of Jewish schoolchildren in Toulouse and a 2015 hostage crisis in a kosher supermarket outside Paris.
In both cases, the attacks were committed by extremists from France's North and West African community who claimed to have been acting in the name of Islam.
The recent Hamas attacks in Israel have also been widely compared to the 2015 attacks on the Bataclan theatre in Paris, claimed by ISIS.
"Jews are afraid and some of them are looking for a political party that they believe will bring them security," Ms Courouble Share told The National.
Close to 60 per cent of French people think Ms Le Pen is sincere in her fight against anti-Semitism, according to a poll published on Wednesday by French TV channel BFM TV.
Yet media reporting indicates she struggled to capture votes in recent president elections in cities outside Paris with a large Jewish presence.
At Sunday's protest, many were in favour of Ms Le Pen's presence.
Jacques said he was "not that worried about the far-right", which he said had "turned the page," something his wife Wafa appeared to agree with as she dismissed criticism of the rightists.
“Unfortunately, it’s true, some people are stuck in their ideas,” said Wafa.
Jacques interrupted her: “You mean they’re Islamists.”
Jacques said nothing.
Ms Le Pen has never been found guilty of anti-Semitism but has maintained political links with groups known for anti-Jewish views, including in Austria and Hungary.
"It's a double game and some Jews could be convinced by her attempts at seducing them," said Ms Courouble Share, an associate researcher at the Institute for the Study of Global Anti-Semitism and Policy in New York.
The far-right's successful show of support for the Jewish community has contrasted with the far-left. Some of its leaders have failed to condemn Hamas, which has threatened to derail France's left-wing alliance dubbed the Nupes.
In an attempt to show it also cares about stamping out anti-Semitism, the far-left organised a wreath-laying ceremony on Sunday at a Paris memorial of what is known as the 1942 Vel' d'Hiv roundup – a mass arrest of Jews by French authorities in collaboration with Nazi Germany.
But the gathering, which attracted a few dozen people, was disrupted by counter-protesters carrying banners that read: "Don't touch my memory."
"We are just Jews," said one protester as counter-demonstrators exited the area behind a line of police officers who stood between both groups.
"Of course, it hurts us," La France Insoumise politician and MEP Manon Aubry, who was in the crowd, told The National.
"What's important is to show our support for the Jewish community and to do it clearly and without the far-right."
The disruption left many left-wing activists, some of them Jewish, in tears.
"It makes me cry," said Viviane, 70. "They're fascists. They don't understand history."
Catherine, 69, said the counter-protest had convinced her to not attend the march against anti-Semitism later in the day.
"There can be no compromise with the far-right," she said.
Living in fear
Gerard Unger, vice president of the Representative Council of French Jews, told The National he fears indifference from the left and other parts of society.
“People are scared. The problem is the rise of these attacks, that people think its fashionable to go after the Jews, it's pure and simple,” he said.
“We’ve seen more than 1,000 anti-Semitic attacks in a month, and there were 400 in the whole of last year.”
A total of 103 people have been arrested over anti-Semitic incidents in the Parisian region since October 7, Paris police confirmed to The National.
Mr Unger said people are drawing swastikas on letterboxes and outside Jewish homes.
Hundreds of Star of David symbols were scrawled on the walls of Parisian homes in a single night last month.
In Lyon, a 30-year-old woman was this month stabbed by a man posing as a delivery driver, who drew a swastika on her door, where a Mezuzah, which contains a portion of a Torah scroll, had been placed.
“I’ve taken the mezuzah off my door, which has so much meaning,” said Sarah Scialom, a 26-year-old lawyer from Paris. "The mezuzah is supposed to protect your home, but everyone I know in the Jewish community is now trying to hide their Jewishness.
“My family in Israel are more worried for us here in France and in Europe, and they are in the country at war.”
The grand-daughter of Tunisian Jewish refugees, Ms Scialom says she has always grown up with respect for France, but the tales of her family’s expulsion because of their religion have remained with her and feel more pertinent as anti-Semitism becomes more overt.
“I was on the metro, on the phone with a friend in Israel, I was careful not to speak to loudly and someone heard me and said 'You are Jewish, we are going to kill you all.'
“There hasn’t been an explosion in anti-Semitism, there has been an explosion in expressing anti-Semitism. Every day we read something more unbelievable … and that will lead to something catastrophic. The wind is changing and people feel much more comfortable publicly expressing their hatred.”
Ms Scialom says the desire to move to Israel, once out of religious interest, is now more for her safety – and that of her future family – than anything else.
"I love Paris, the universities, the intellectual life, but I don’t see myself raising children here," she said. "I don’t want to be in a country where I can be attacked by my own people because I’m Jewish."
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Essentials
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Malaysia Airlines all fly direct from the UAE to Kuala Lumpur and on to Penang from about Dh2,300 return, including taxes.
Where to stay
In Kuala Lumpur, Element is a recently opened, futuristic hotel high up in a Norman Foster-designed skyscraper. Rooms cost from Dh400 per night, including taxes. Hotel Stripes, also in KL, is a great value design hotel, with an infinity rooftop pool. Rooms cost from Dh310, including taxes.
In Penang, Ren i Tang is a boutique b&b in what was once an ancient Chinese Medicine Hall in the centre of Little India. Rooms cost from Dh220, including taxes.
23 Love Lane in Penang is a luxury boutique heritage hotel in a converted mansion, with private tropical gardens. Rooms cost from Dh400, including taxes.
In Langkawi, Temple Tree is a unique architectural villa hotel consisting of antique houses from all across Malaysia. Rooms cost from Dh350, including taxes.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
Match info
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Liverpool v Porto, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Specs%20
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
MATCH INFO
Everton 0
Manchester City 2 (Laporte 45 2', Jesus 90 7')
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
UAE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Adel Al Hosani
Defenders: Bandar Al Ahbabi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Mohammed Barghash, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Hassan Al Mahrami, Yousef Jaber, Mohammed Al Attas
Midfielders: Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Majed Hassan, Abdullah Hamad, Khalfan Mubarak, Khalil Al Hammadi, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Harib Abdallah, Mohammed Jumah
Forwards: Fabio De Lima, Caio Canedo, Ali Saleh, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
ARGYLLE
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Read more from Aya Iskandarani
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More on animal trafficking
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The biog
First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work
The years Ramadan fell in May
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 4 (Messi 23' pen, 45 1', 48', Busquets 85')
Celta Vigo 1 (Olaza 42')
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
The five pillars of Islam
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
More from Aya Iskandarani
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Four tips to secure IoT networks
Mohammed Abukhater, vice president at FireEye in the Middle East, said:
- Keep device software up-to-date. Most come with basic operating system, so users should ensure that they always have the latest version
- Besides a strong password, use two-step authentication. There should be a second log-in step like adding a code sent to your mobile number
- Usually smart devices come with many unnecessary features. Users should lock those features that are not required or used frequently
- Always create a different guest network for visitors
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Fernandes pen 2') Tottenham Hotspur 6 (Ndombele 4', Son 7' & 37' Kane (30' & pen 79, Aurier 51')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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