National Level
3 December 2019, French National Assembly motion ’Aiming to Fight Antisemitism’ (resolution nº 361)*
The French Parliament passed a motion through which it adopted the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism. The motion was adopted by a very low number of MPs: 154 voted in favour, 72 against – out of a total of 577 members. The motion was submitted by LREM MP Sylvain Maillard, chairman of a study group on Antisemitism and vice-president of the “Groupe d’amitié France-Israël”, after that, in February 2019, many politicians, among which the French President Macron, expressed reservations on Milliard’s idea of drafting a law criminalizing anti-Zionism.
- Opposition:
> In November, 129 Jewish and Israeli scholars published “A Call to the French National Assembly: Don’t Support Resolution Equating anti-Zionism with Antisemitism and Endorsing IHRA definition”
* The text of the motion does not explicitly refer to the additional examples. Yet, since it does not explicitly exclude them, we consider that the Parliament of France has adopted the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism, including the additional examples
12 February 2010, Minister of Justice Alliot-Marie issuing the circular “Procedures Following Calls for a Boycott of Israeli Products” (CRIM-AP n° 09-9006-A4)
The Minister of Justice Michèle Alliot-Marie (Les Républicains) issued a circular.
- What it does:
The circular called on public prosecutor’s offices to initiate proceedings against persons calling for or participating in boycott actions on products of Israeli origin. These type of actions were assimilated to provocation to racial discrimination or hatred on the grounds of section 24(8) of the law of 29 July 1881 on the Freedom of the Press*.
- Opposition:
> Overtime, many French MPs have submitted parliamentary questions (see: http://questions.assemblee-nationale.fr/q15/15-6867QE.htm, http://questions.assemblee-nationale.fr/q14/14-60249QE.htm; https://www.nord-palestine.org/art-recom-2013-11-25Candelier.htm) asking for the abrogation of the circular (the most recent one submitted after the Baldassi judgement was delivered: http://questions.assemblee-nationale.fr/q15/15-30607QE.htm)
* Section 24(8) of the Law of 29 July 1881 on the freedom of the press:
“anyone who, by any of the means set out in section 23, has engaged in incitement to discrimination, hatred or violence against a person or group of persons on account of their origin or their (non-)membership of a specific ethnic group, nation, race or religion shall be liable to one year’s imprisonment and/or a fine of 45,000 euros”.
This law has been used to criminalize BDS activists – such as in the recent Baldassi case.
Regional Level
9 March 2017, Council of the Ile de France charter “Regional charter of the values of the Republic and of Secularism”
The charter adopted by the Regional Council explicitly state that the region does not support in any way organisations whose aim is “import conflicts or tensions between our communities”, such as, they continue, the “Boycott, Disinvestment and Sanctions” campaign against Israel, since “these appeals constitute a criminal offense”.
13 October 2016, Council of the Ile de France amendment excluding promoters of BDS from public funding
The Council of the Ile-de-France amended the conditions of eligibility to apply for public funds, within the regional initiative “Soutien Regional aux expressions citoyennes” (regional support for civic participation). The amended eligibility conditions specify that groups pursuing the boycott of Israel, and in particular the BDS movement, won’t get any founding, since calling for a boycott of Israel “constitutes a criminal offense”.
Local Level
18 March 2016, Toulouse motion (CFR PDF) condemning the BDS (deliberation n 41.1)
The city of Toulouse adopted a motion condemning the actions of boycott against Israel and in particular the BDS movement. The city encouraged not to allow groups promoting the boycott of Israel to use public spaces.
16 February 2016, Council of Paris motion (CFR PDF) “Condemning BDS and promoting peace between Israelis and Palestinians”
The city of Paris adopted a motion condemning the BDS, labelling the activities of the movement “illegal”. The motion also condemned the actions calling for a boycott of Israel which took place on Parisian public space.
Statements
16 July 2017, During the ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the Vel d’Hiv roundup, Macron said: “Anti-Zionism is the reinvented form of Antisemitism”.
“We will yield nothing to the messages of hatred,” – “We will yield nothing to anti-Zionism, because it is the reinvented form of anti-Semitism.”