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Marine Le Pen, president of the French far-right Front National party, in Paris on March 28, 2018, during a silent march in memory of Mireille Knoll, an 85-year-old Jewish woman murdered in her home in an anti-Semitic attack. FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP via Getty Images.
Observation

April 12, 2021

Is Europe’s Far Right Serious about Rethinking Its Attitude toward Judaism?

By Tobias Cremer

A shift in right-wing populist rhetoric toward Jews and Israel has been taking place on the continent. Why? And how likely is it to endure?

“The AfD is thoroughly pro-Jewish. . . . In parliament, we are constantly introducing pro-Jewish motions.”—Jörg Meuthen, president of the German political party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), 2018.

“I do not stop repeating it to French Jews . . . not only is the Front National not your enemy, but it is without a doubt the best shield to protect you.”—Marine Le Pen, president of the French Rassemblement National (RN, formerly FN), 2016.

“Every patriot, apart from being a democrat, by definition also has to be a true friend of Israel. A patriot cannot be anti-Semitic.”—Geert Wilders, president of the Dutch Partij voor de Vrihjheid (PVV), 2016.

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