Marie Mesmeur's tweet causes an outcry (and dismay on the left)

POLITICS – It all started with a tweet published Friday November 8 by the national secretary of the Communist Party, Fabien Roussel. In a publication on

« Last night in Amsterdam, supporters were chased away, threatened and lynched in the street of a European city because they are Jewish. The hatred is growing, unbearable. The perpetrators must be arrested and sentenced to the height of this monstrosityé”, denounced the former presidential candidate, while the entire French political class expressed their indignation, including the head of state Emmanuel Macron. It was then that Marie Mesmeur, LFI deputy for Ille-et-Vilaine, responded directly to the communist leader.

Disconcerting confidence

« These people were not lynched because they were Jewish, but because they were racist and supported genocide. », she replied, with disconcerting confidence, since the wording tends to both put the lynchings into perspective while claiming to know the motivations of all the people involved in this violence, which led to 62 arrests.

However, if everyone agrees (including the police) that supporters of the Israeli club had attacked a taxi and set fire to a Palestinian flag on Wednesday evening, in the streets of the city, contributing according to local authorities to a deleterious climate around the meeting, it seems at least risky to immediately deny any anti-Semitic intention among the attackers (unless you know all of the people involved) and quite inappropriate to give the impression that a lynching would be less serious, or even authorized, according to the beliefs (real or supposed) of those who are victims.

Which, inevitably, made many observers jump. “ “Genocidaires”, “genocide supporters”: these are the labels that you and your friends constantly attach to your adversaries. Your justification for pogromist violence is serious. As a national elected official, she commits you heavily “, denounced Licra this Saturday, November 9 in a tweet, while the host Arthur expressed a feeling of ” nausea » on the same social network.

The exit of Marie Mesmeur also caused a reaction on the left. “ Each of your words damages the Republic a little more. This endorsement of violence and anti-Semitism is destructive. She serves the anti-racist fight », Denounced the socialist president of the Occitanie region, Carole Delga. Same tone among PS senator Laurence Rossignol, who recalled the ambiguous formulations used by several rebels the day after October 7.

« When we confuse terrorism and resistance, mass rape and heroism, no wonder we end up justifying lynching! », castigated the former minister. Elected PS from Paris, Lamia El Aaraje (hostile to any agreement with LFI) called on her socialist comrades to definitively break with Jean-Luc Mélenchon's movement. “ What happened in Amsterdam is appalling, chilling and reminiscent of the dark hours of our history. What some populist political representatives are saying is appalling and should make us permanently cease all relations with them. That's enough. NOW ”, she growled.

Marie Mesmeur defends herself

Quoted by The TelegramMarie Mesmeur justified herself. “ The day before the match, hooligans tore down Palestinian flags, attacked people in the streets, then called for killing Arabs in public and resumed genocidal and pro-Netanyahu chants. They also whistled at the start of the match for a minute of silence dedicated to the deaths of Valencia, explaining that all Spaniards were anti-Semitic. All this is documented. There are videos “, she defends herself, before adding: “ despite all this, we must not respond to violence with violence. All violence, from all sides, is unbearable ».

According to her, it is impossible to conclude that there was any anti-Semitism in this violence. “ What is equally unbearable is that political leaders and journalists suggest that, as a result, these Israeli criminal hooligans who were organized, committed and sang atrocities, were attacked because they were Jewish. But this is not the case “, she understands, affirming that those concerned have ” were attacked following this chain of violence”.

And the rebellious elected official hammers out: “ We are considered by some to be anti-Semitic because we refuse to say that these people were attacked because they were Jewish. “. And to say that it would only be enough not to rule out this hypothesis straight away…

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