French far-left leader accused of spreading antisemitic stereotypes

Paris - The president of the far-left political party La France Insoumise (France Unbowed – LFI), Jean-Luc Mélenchon, has been accused of spreading an antisemitic trope during a radio interview.

When journalist Apolline De Malherbe asked him if “the police should be like Jesus on the cross and not reply” during the demonstrations, the response of Mélenchon created controversy on social media. : “Listen, I don’t know if Jesus was on the cross. I know who put him there, it seems that it was his own compatriots”.

Meyer Habib, a French MP for French nationals living abroad, replied directly to Melenchon on Twitter. “No Mr. Mélenchon! A bit of history: Jesus Christ was condemned to death by crucifixion by the Roman Ponce Pilate, not by his Jewish compatriots (21’32)! The temptation was perhaps too strong to recycle the age-old antisemitic deicide trope“.

Non @JLMelenchon! Un peu d’histoire: Jésus-Christ fut condamné à la mort par crucifixion par le préfet romain Ponce Pilate, pas par ses compatriotes juifs (21’32)! La tentation était peut-être trop forte de recycler le bon vieux poncif antisémite du peuple déicide @apollineWakeUp https://t.co/cayk4sg6nD

— Meyer Habib (@Meyer_Habib) July 15, 2020

Source: algemeiner