Before Emmanuel Macron’s speech, the Kaddish – the Jewish funeral hymn – played on the esplanade of the Invalides while a light rain fell. Yesterday’s tribute in Paris to the 42 French and Franco-Israelis killed on October 7 by Hamas was the first event of this scale and institutional rank organized outside the Jewish State since the terrorist attacks.
In the ceremony, sober and very emotional, 42 republican guards took part, holding the portraits of the victims. There were also three empty chairs in memory of the three French-Israeli hostages believed to be still in Gaza. At the Invalides, an almost sacred place for the French soul, where the tomb of Napoleon I is, there were present the highest authorities of the Republic, former presidents and former prime ministers. Manuel Valls was not missing.
The tribute, followed live from a giant screen in Tel-Aviv, raised some controversy due to the fact that it took place four months after the massacre. The most pro-Israeli parties complained about the delay. In France it is never easy to respect all sensibilities. The country is home to the largest Jewish community in Europe – around 500,000 people – and an estimated 100,000 French Jews live in Israel. But, at the same time, France has the continent’s largest population of Arab or Muslim origin, whether French nationals or immigrants.
Another reason for controversy was the presence of deputies from La França Insubmisa (LFI, radical left), often accused of anti-Semitism, and who have never used the term terrorism to describe what happened on October 7. Many relatives of victims were uncomfortable seeing the Invalids leaders of the LFI. They tried to avoid it, but they couldn’t. It was a State event and parliamentarians, of all persuasions, were invited by the Elysee.
“We are 68 million French people in mourning”, emphasized Macron, to dispel any doubt. “Nothing can justify or excuse terrorism”, recalled the president, who said that France fights it “in all its forms”, although he qualified: “We will never let the spirit of revenge flourish”. Macron spoke of the “barbarism” of Hamas and mentioned the “suffering” of the Palestinian people and the need for a peaceful solution. After the speech, La Marseillaise and Chopin’s Funeral March were performed.
