When the left abandons you, you will naturally turn to the right, and even to the extreme right. Apparently, the Jews of France have had enough of the socalists who refuse to acknowledge Muslim anti-Semitism, and are turning to the parties who want to throw the Muslims out of France.
It is almost certain the extreme right headed by Jean-Marie Le Pen will benefit from the terror that has settled in the hearts of the Jews. In the past, Jews did not vote for Le Pen because they saw him as a racist and a xenophobe. As long as they felt protected, they condemned him and his opinions. But in light of their feeling that the state has abandoned them, some see him as a worthy address.
While the state has not admitted to the growth of extremist elements in the Muslim community, Le Pen more forcefully emphasizes his well-known opinions: Muslims, or most Muslims, should go back to their countries of origin. The enemy of my enemy has suddenly become a friend. A Jewish doctor in this picturesque town said a few days ago that many of his friends intended to vote for Le Pen. “Of course, because he is the best for the Jews of France,” he said. A friend of his, an economics professor who took part in the conversation, conceded that although things had improved, most of the Jews of Aix-en-Provence would vote either for the right-wing candidate Nicolas Sarkozy or Le Pen. “I have a feeling that Le Pen will do very well in the coming elections,” he said.
In the last elections, in 2002, Le Pen got most of the votes in the mixed cities, where veteran French people live alongside Muslim immigrants. Sarkozy, the leading candidate, is for this reason trying with all his might to pull votes that have already leaked into Le Pen’s camp. Segolene Royal, the left-wing candidate, knows that hundreds of thousands of votes have gone to the margins, pursued by fears and insecurity.
These are frightening times indeed. Le Pen hates Jews nearly as much as he hates Muslims. I imagine that he’s perfectly happy taking on one group at a time, though I’m surprised he doesn’t go for the weaker minority first. Or perhaps he’s a realist, and knows that Jews have never been a threat to France. I don’t think you can say the same about its Muslims.
I’m not sure if it is still the case, but Le Pen used to have some Turkish voters (zero Arab ones, of course). A lot of Turks are as rightwing as Le Pen himself.
“would vote either for the right-wing candidate Nicolas Sarkozy or Le Pen”..the construction of this sentence seems to imply that Sarkozy is the same breed of cat as Le Pen, which is hardly true.