To summarize in a few words a very complicated and painful situation, it is impossible for an individual, whether a student or a teacher, to say that you area Jew. If you say so, you’ll end in a hospital. Don’t show any hostility to Al-Qaeda, or Hamas, you’ll beexposed to the same kind of violence. You can also talk to some of these kids, they’re open to discussion. Many of them dream to become a martyr and blow upthemselves. It’s after all understandable, that’s what they hear in theirmosque.
The situation right now is much worse. And it’s only the beginning. We had demonstrations every Saturday in every big city inFrance, and also smaller cities, against the Israeli bombings in Gaza. There’s nothing wrong with that per se.We live in a democracy after all. These demonstrations have a different flavor. The 20.000 people demonstrating in Paris were not in the streets to claimpeace but to shout that Israel should be destroyed. Israeli flags were burned, the support was for Hamas, not Fatah (as you know, this organization hasbetrayed his own people), and you could see giant pictures of Nasrallah. One of the sentences you could hear, repeatedly, was “Death to the Jews and theZionists”. This was going on in Paris among other places. Two weeks ago the demonstrators stopped Place del’Opera, shouted Allah is great and prayed [to] Allah. This is a fact, not bad science-fiction. In Mulhouse, the demonstratorswanted to end the day at the synagogue, and destroy it. The police prevented it.
It’s a pretty bad time right now to pray in a synagogue in the eastern part of France – bombs are beingthrown once in a while, let’s say once a week – or in a Parisiansuburb.
Now, who are these people? Where do these demonstrators come from? You have the usual suspects like the Communist party, the various Trotskyites parties,members of the National Front, people known to be close to revisionists groups and, mainly, ordinary people, from North Africa who suddenly claim that Allah,Hamas and the destruction of Israel matter more than their French citizenship. What we saw in the past three weeks were the first massive Islamicdemonstrations in France. And they’re not going to disappear like that. A peace agreement in the Middle-Eastwon’t make things disappear.
Just this week-end, a famous French stand-up comedian called Arthur could not perform in a French city. There too many demonstrators outside the concert hall, thepolice could not manage security inside the building. Now, who is Arthur? A Zionist loony? Someone who said death to all Palestinians? Arthur did not even give his advice about what'sgoing on in the Middle-East. He's just a Jew. Obviously a crime nowadays.
Isometimes wonder how people are going to react to this situation. Not Jewish people. For them, we already know. But let’s say my colleagues at (media outletdeleted), in the place known to be one of the center of the so called French elite.
Afew of them don’t enjoy these demonstrations. Only a few of them. The vast majority doesn’t understand the dangerIsrael is facing with Hamas, Iran and Hezbollah. They don’t understand the danger ourcountry is facing with a growing minority who believe that the law of the French republic matters less than the Islamic law. It is a problem, a hugeone.
Sincerely yours,
Name Withheld