We have reached a point where politics has become more polarized than ever before. It is wild to see how political debates turned from decent and respectful discussions to a wild circus show in such a short time.
Europe is no different.
What happened in France in the last couple of days was upsetting and only proves how life for Jewish people in the diaspora can change overnight. In Sunday's second round of voting, the far-left New Popular Front coalition, which includes the Socialist Party and the France Unbowed far-left party (LFI), regarded as widely regarded as antisemitic, secured an estimated 178 seats in a deeply divided National Assembly. The centrist parties built alliances with the far-left bloc to derail the right-wing bloc, a coalition led by Jean-Luc Melenchon. To French Jews, this means the centrist has essentially signed a deal with the devil.
Jean-Luc Melenchon, the leader of LFI, is a notorious antisemite who, in the past, called French Jews "an arrogant minority that lectures to the rest" and is known for his anti-Israel stance. While antisemitism in France saw a 300% increase since 2023, Mélenchon has dismissed it and called it "residual." He has now promised to recognize a Palestinian state and 92% of French Jews say his party has contributed to the rise of antisemitism.
In the wake of the October 7 massacre, where Hamas murdered 1200 people and abducted 251 hostages, several far-left politicians refused to condemn Hamas's actions. Indeed, Rabbi Moshe Sebbag, from the Grand Synagogue of Paris, said that "France has no future for Jews'' and has advised that the younger French Jewish population leave for Israel.
While the elections might not directly impact Macron's presidency, they could complicate the process of passing legislation, especially legislation meant to protect the French Jewish community. Macron will have to sit and negotiate with Melenchon, who is known to be cut-throat and, power-hungry, fierce communist- almost like Antifa level. Whatever one makes of the situation, it will have a severe impact on the Jewish community.
While the riots that unfolded are not anything new in France, their violent nature and the waving of Palestinian flags in their celebrations should worry many.
The UK also saw a major political transformation. Last week, Britain's center-left Labour Party celebrated an overwhelming victory, for the first time in 14 years. Labour Party leader Keir Starmer was influential in ridding the party of its antisemitism. Labour blocked its previous leader, Jeremy Corbyn, from running with the party and adopted the recommendations of a government commission that investigated antisemitism within the party. These steps restored the faith of many Jewish voters. Yet, there is still lingering fear that the Labour Party is still filled with predominantly anti-Israel constituents that they will cave into when the time comes to make the hard decision to defend Israel. Starmer's newly appointed foreign secretary, David Lammy, supported the International Criminal Court. The court's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, recently announced plans to seek arrest warrants for Netanyahu. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Lammy said, "Labour would comply with an ICC arrest order for Netanyahu."
Far-left politician and former leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, won back his parliamentary seat. After beating out the Labour Party candidate he used to lead for the seat, he has vowed to make life difficult for Starmer in Parliament. Corbyn is a well-known antisemite who has called Hamas his "friends." His handling of antisemitism complaints within the Labour Party during his leadership was widely criticized, with many accusing him of failing to take decisive action against perpetrators. Any reality where he sits in office and pushes his far-left and antisemitic policies will surely affect the Jewish community.
Many argue that the rise and emboldening of the ultra-left is a direct result of the increase in extreme right and fascism that we have seen globally in recent years. For whatever reason, the rise of extremism in politics has become mainstream, and whichever way it falls, it is concerning news for the Jews. These examples only reiterate why the state of Israel needs to exist because even in democracies like France and the UK, there are still politicians who are actively pushing an antisemitic agenda. Throughout history, we have seen that there is a need for a safe haven for Jews worldwide when they are no longer welcome in their host countries.
