Rallies against antisemitism attracted crowds of thousands in Paris and other French cities following a series of attacks on Jewish targets, including a cemetery where about 80 gravestones were spray-painted with swastikas overnight.
In the French capital, former presidents Francois Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy joined a rally led by Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on Republic Plaza.
Political parties from across the spectrum participated in the nationwide rallies with the theme “That’s enough”, although Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party held a separate event.
French President Emmanuel Macron went to the Shoah Memorial, a Holocaust museum in Paris, to observe a moment of silence with parliament leaders.
“Every time a French person, because he or she is Jewish, is insulted, threatened — or worse, injured or killed — the whole Republic” is attacked, Macron said at a news conference in Paris.
Leaders from France’s main religious communities, including Christian, Muslim and Jewish representatives, met at France’s Interior Ministry. In a joint declaration, they solemnly condemned antisemitic acts and called on people to make individual commitments to combat all forms of racism and hatred.