France's Griveaux Says Government to Fight Growing Antisemitism

(Bloomberg) -- French government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux Sunday said that the country’s leadership won’t tolerate growing antisemitism in the nation.

The French government expressed concern this weekend after media reports that Jewish philosopher Alain Finkielkraut was jeered by people participating in a Yellow Vests protest in Paris on Saturday when he walked by. President Emmanuel Macron called for demonstrations against antisemitism on Tuesday, saying the incident comes on the back of a wave of antisemitic acts.

“These are hateful acts,” Griveaux said Sunday on RTL radio. Within the demonstrations, “there are clearly minority antisemitic elements” and the government wants to identify, pursue and prosecute them, he said.

Still, the majority of Yellow Vest protests isn’t using racist language and the government is listening to proposals coming from debates all over the country on issues including taxes, Griveaux said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Angeline Benoit in Paris at abenoit4@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Lukas Strobl at lstrobl@bloomberg.net, Christopher Elser, Paul Abelsky

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.