Meyer Habib: I am very worried about France, it is much more antisemitic than Belgium

Former French parliamentarian Meyer Habib warns of the complex and dangerous reality in which the Jews of France live in an interview with Maariv on Tuesday.

The upcoming UEFA Nations League soccer match between Israel and France at the national stadium "Stade de France" on Thursday has been put in jeopardy after the mass violence and antisemitism directed towards Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in Amsterdam erupted last Thursday.

Habib describes the disturbing reality of rising antisemitism but refuses to give in to fear and warns against the slippery slope of hiding Jewish identity, saying, "At first we will hide our Star of David, and then what will happen - will they cut their beard?"

"France is a much more problematic country than Belgium and the rest of Europe," Habib says in the interview.

He lists a series of severe anti-Semitic incidents, stating, "I remind you that Jews were killed because they were Jews in France. It started in Toulouse; it even started with Ilan Halimi in 2003. 13 Jews were killed, and that's only in France," Habib also mentions a recent event, "Also in Paris a few months ago, a 12-year-old girl was raped, because she is Jewish, by three members of minorities of Muslim origin."

Macron also responsible

Habib does not spare his tribe from President Macron: "Unfortunately, French President Macron is also responsible; he said that Israel needs to stop barbarism. This is very serious."

He also treats with special severity the boycott of the Israeli arms industries, noting, "He boycotted the Israeli arms industries, this is the first time they did a boycott, even though the boycott is forbidden according to French law - the last boycott in France of the Jews was during World War II."

"We have in the parliament, not on the street but in the parliament, hundreds of members of parliament from the extreme left, Hamas supporters who define Hamas as a liberation organization - and it's French, it's not Arabs," warns Habib.

He points to an interesting political paradox: "The extreme left teamed up with Macron in the elections in order to block the right wing of Marine Le Pen, who has actually been much more moderate in recent years, and they completely disapprove of her father's former extreme right."

Despite the concerns, Habib expresses confidence in the security of the upcoming game: "I talked with the authorities; I know the Police and Interior Minister well. They doubled the number of police officers to about 4,000 and reduced the number of spectators to 30,000 instead of 90,000. So far, we only bought about 20,000, so that there will be almost a police officer for every 3-4 people."

However, he emphasizes the need for caution, "You shouldn't go around alone; you should go around in groups, go around with a number of the police. Try not to walk in several areas, and by no means go to the game alone."

As mentioned, Habib strongly opposes hiding the Jewish identity, "I don't want to tell the Jews to take off the kippah. At first, we will hide the Star of David, and then what - will they cut the beard? I will never ask for that."

Habib points to a disturbing statistic: "There are between eight and 10 million citizens of Muslim origin in France. Antisemitism and anti-Israelism, which are the same thing, are burning in France," he concludes by saying: "I am very worried about France in the coming years, not only about the Jews. It starts with the Jews, but it never ends with the Jews."

Despite the complex situation, Habib insists on being present at the game: "I'm actually less worried about the game itself, but whoever doesn't want to take a risk - don't come. I'll be there."