The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has condemned antisemitic abuse of a leading intellectual by gilets jaunes (yellow vests) protestors and said it would not be tolerated.
“The antisemitic insults he has been subjected to are the absolute negation of what we are and what makes us a great nation. We will not tolerate it,” Macron tweeted.
Police intervened to protect philosopher and writer Alain Finkielkraut after he was targeted by a group of protestors on the fringe of a demonstration in central Paris on Saturday, according to videos posted on social networks.
“The son of Polish immigrants who became a French academician, Alain Finkielkraut is not only a prominent man of letters but the symbol of what the Republic allows everyone,” the president added in another tweet.
Several protestors shouted “dirty Zionist”, “we are the people” and “France is ours”, according to a video broadcast by Yahoo! News.
A recent spate of antisemitic vandalism and graffiti in and around Paris has stoked fresh concerns about an increase in hate crime against Jews.
Fourteen political parties on Thursday launched a call for action against antisemitism after the interior ministry reported a 74% increase in anti-Jewish acts last year.
