Tsedek!

INTERNATIONAL
JEWISH MEETING

The genocidal war waged by the Israeli army in Gaza, with the support of Western powers, is giving rise, in France, to a particularly dangerous sequence. Stigmatized as supporters of terrorism, left-wing activists and organizations in solidarity with the Palestinian people are facing repression from a state already deeply committed to an authoritarian and reactionary turn. Since October 7, much of this repression has been carried out in the name of the fight against antisemitism.

On November 12th 2023, a march took place in the city of Paris allegedly « for the Republic and against antisemitism, » whose call, signed by the president of the National Assembly and the president of the Senate, aimed essentially at reaffirming the authority of the State and support for Israel against Muslims identified as enemies from within. It was a show of force by the ruling coalition, which rolled out the red carpet for the Rassemblement National and Reconquêtet!, political parties that trace their lineage to Vichy France and are deeply Islamophobic in nature. A few weeks later, the city of Paris was exerting pressure to prevent an event with the American Jewish philosopher Judith Butler, organized by anti-racist Jewish organizations, decolonial activists, and radical left-wing parties, focusing on the fight against antisemitism and repression of solidarity with the Palestinian people.

We, French Jews, find ourselves exploited by the government and right-wing and far-right political forces. In this long period of escalating fascism, we find ourselves even more isolated as we are openly used as pretexts for the implementation of Islamophobic and antisocial policies. Confronted with the enduring presence of endemic antisemitism in our societies and the forms of Judeophobia that develop in the wake of Israeli policy, this situation is untenable and must be overturned.

The challenges we face are not only specific to France. The rise of the far-right and authoritarianism, as well as the criminalization of social and labor movements, are part of an underlying trend that affects the entire Western world. In France, where Islamophobia is prominent globally, as well as in other places, Israeli colonial policy and the co-opting of the fight against antisemitism are contributing to a dangerous increase in anti-Jewish sentiment. Faced with the reactionary and authoritarian surge, it is urgent to build dams.

We, anti-colonial Jewish organizations from various countries, call upon organizations and activists advocating for collective emancipation to gather in Paris on March 30th, 2024 in order to reaffirm the legitimacy of the Palestinian cause and international solidarity. The fight against antisemitism is inseparable from the struggle against all forms of racism. Faced with the authoritarian turn, racism, and colonialism, let us form a block !