Before Emmanuel Macron’s speech, the Kaddish – the Jewish funeral hymn – was played on the Esplanade des Invalides while a light rain fell. This Wednesday’s tribute in Paris to the 42 French and Franco-Israelis murdered on October 7 by Hamas was the first event of this size and institutional scope organized outside the Jewish State since the terrorist attacks.
In the sober and very emotional ceremony, 42 Republican Guards participated, holding the portraits of the victims. There were also three empty chairs in memory of the three Franco-Israeli hostages believed to be still in Gaza. The highest authorities of the Republic, former presidents and former prime ministers, attended the Invalides, a place almost sacred to the French soul, where the tomb of Napoleon I is located. Manuel Valls was not missing.
The tribute, followed live from a giant screen in Tel Aviv, sparked some controversy due to the fact that it took place four months after the massacre. The most pro-Israel parties complained about the delay. It is never easy in France to respect all sensitivities. 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 largest population of Arab or Muslim origin on the continent, whether they are French nationals or immigrants.
Another reason for controversy was the presence of deputies from La Francia Insumisa (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 LFI leaders in the Invalides. They tried to avoid it, but they couldn’t. It was an act of state, and parliamentarians, of all tendencies, were invited by the Elysée.
“We are 68 million French people in mourning,” Macron highlighted, to dispel any doubts. “Nothing can justify or excuse terrorism,” recalled the president, who said that France fights it “in all its forms,” although he clarified: “We will never let the spirit of revenge prosper.” Macron spoke of “the barbarism” of Hamas and mentioned “the suffering” of the Palestinian people and the need for a peace solution. After the speech, Chopin’s La Marseillaise and Funeral March were performed.