Emmanuel Macron received representatives of religions this Monday, November 13 at the Elysée. A meeting organized the day after the demonstration against anti-Semitism in which the head of state did not participate.
“The President of the Republic had very strong words.” This is what the representatives of religions remember at the end of their meeting with Emmanuel Macron organized on the morning of Monday, November 13. If this interview was an opportunity to explain France’s position in the conflict between Israel and Hamas and to discuss the prospects for a future of peace between Israel and Palestine, the discussions mainly focused on “the “the challenge of assuming republican universalism” in French society, religious leaders explained in front of the Elysée Palace.
A theme dear to representatives of Christian, but especially Jewish and Muslim faiths directly concerned by the rise of anti-Semitism for one and by the amalgamation between Islam and Islamism for the other. On this subject, all religious leaders like the President of the Republic were satisfied with the civic march organized on November 12. “Yesterday in the march there was not a slogan against anyone, we were together for the values ??of the Republic which involve fighting against anti-Semitism and against all racism, because no racism is anymore acceptable or bearable than another,” declared the Chief Rabbi of France, Haïm Korsia.
“There were Muslims in the march” underlined the Chief Rabbi of France in a desire to recall the need for fraternity between religions and denouncing unnecessary debates. For his part, the rector of the great mosque of Paris Chems-Eddine Hafiz recalled the commitment of French Islam against anti-Semitism and assured that “anti-Semitism will not pass through the mosques of France.” The cleric, however, mentioned the confusion of which the Muslims of France are victims on the sidelines of the war in Israel: “There is a real confusion between Islam and Islamism [and] there is an outburst of declarations made against Muslims.” As such, Chems-Eddine Hafiz would have “liked to make this march to fight against anti-Semitism, a fight against racism”. A nuance which did not call into account the support of the great rector of the Paris mosque for the march and for the Jewish community.
“We are all aware of the disease of the soul that is anti-Semitism against which we must all mobilize,” assured the president of the Conference of Bishops of France, Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, who expressed his “ trust” in the French people who include Muslims and Jews “to work to fight against all racism”. All religious leaders have also announced that they are working towards this, according to the wishes of Emmanuel Macron. “Macron asked us to participate in an educational effort [and] to support work as cults which stand together to explain the universalist spirit and avoid victimized competition” specified the president of the Protestant Federation of France, Christian Krieger. It is particularly among young people, little seen in the march, that his speeches must be made.
The meeting between the Head of State and representatives of religions was held the day after the march against anti-Semitism, during which the absence of Emmanuel Macron was noted, and sometimes criticized. Members of the Jewish community have themselves expressed their disappointment with this choice of the President of the Republic. This subject did not appear to be one for the religious leaders at the end of the meeting; the chief rabbi of France also praised the way in which the march took place. According to Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, the head of state “explained why his place was not [at the demonstration] and recalled his undeniable commitment”. This meeting with the representatives of the cults was not a “way of making up for it” after his absence according to the religious.
Emmanuel Macron justified his absence by his role which is that of “building the unity of the country”, “to make decisions, to say words when they need to be said and to act, otherwise I can demonstrate every week” . “I have never been to a demonstration of any kind,” added the head of state. Demonstrating is indeed an exercise to which former Presidents of the Republic have rarely undertaken; we can still cite François Mitterrand in 1990 who participated in the rally against anti-Semitism after the desecration of Jewish graves in a cemetery in Carpentras. Another example in 2015 when François Hollande demonstrated after the attacks against Charlie Hebdo and a Hyper Cacher store.
