March against anti-Semitism: “Everyone is free to demonstrate for whatever cause they think is just,” says Robert Badinter

Robert Badinter spoke about the march against anti-Semitism that took place in Paris last Sunday. Responding to a question from LCI, the former Justice Minister in particular returned to the much-criticized participation of the National Rally during that demonstration, which attracted more than 100,000 people to the capital. The former senator draws a clear distinction between Marine Le Pen, the current president of the National Rally, and her father Jean-Marie Le Pen. “Everyone is free to hold demonstrations for whatever cause he considers just,” he reasoned.

Before continuing: “Marine Le Pen condemned anti-Semitism, which is the crime for which her father was convicted. The sins of the fathers are not the sins of the sons. We cannot blame Ms Le Pen for Mr Le Pen Pere’s very colorful comments. That would be unfair, there is no hereditary criminal liability,” he said.

“We are exactly where we need to be”

Leaders of the French far right took part in a “great civic march” last Sunday in Paris, with the support of many sympathizers, including from within the Jewish community. “We are exactly where we need to be,” Marine Le Pen said amid the compact crowd gathered on the Esplanade des Invalides. Faced with controversy, the leader of RN deputies denounced “petty politics.”

The participation of far-right parties was itself an event on Sunday when, five years ago, Marine Le Pen was forced to leave a march in the capital amid insults in memory of Mireille Knoll, an octogenarian Jewish woman murdered at her residence. Just last year, Jewish institutions called for a vote against the National Rally president in the presidential election, calling her a “danger to community cohesion” and calling her party’s stance “contrary to republican values.”