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France National Front presidential candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen addresses a political rally in Lille on Feb. 25, 2007.
Father of the French far right dies
Jean-Marie Le Pen, whose ultranationalist and conservative views enraged millions but also shaped the contemporary French political scene, died on Tuesday at 96.
Le Pen was a far-right fixture of French politics for nearly five decades as a legislator in the French and European parliaments, and as founder and leader of the National Front party, which he founded in the early 1970s.
What were his politics? A theatrical orator and a fierce opponent of immigration – he sought the “purification” of France and a return to traditional Catholic values – Le Pen’s rhetoric often veered towards xenophobia, homophobia, racism, and antisemitism. At least half a dozen times he was convicted of either inciting racial hatred or denying the Holocaust.
And yet, beginning in the 1970s, he, along with anti-tax advocate Pierre Poujade, amassed a dedicated following among a slice of the French public who resented the governing elite, struggled with economic hardship, and viewed immigration from France’s former colonies in Africa and the Middle East as a threat to their livelihoods and French culture.
Le Pen ran for the presidency five times. He never won but he came closest to the prize in 2002, when he made it to a runoff against Jacques Chirac, taking nearly 20% of the vote.
Ultimately, his more extreme rhetoric came to cap the appeal of his party. When his daughter, Marine, inherited the organization from him 15 years ago, it was something she sought to address.
“He gave her a family business,” says Mujtaba Rahman, managing director of Europe at Eurasia Group. “But she had to change the brand.”
While she kept the focus on limiting immigration and protecting French cultural values, she distanced herself from his antisemitic and homophobic rhetoric, expelling him from the party, and changing the name to National Rally.
The party has surged in popularity in recent years. Politics in France – as elsewhere in Europe and the US – have shifted rightward in ways that were hard to imagine even during the height of Jean-Marie Le Pen’s polarizing influence in the early 2000s.
In 2022, Marine got more than 40% of the vote in the presidential runoff against Emmanuel Macron. And last summer, National Rally won the first round of France’s snap elections outright for the first time.
Le Pen’s legacy continues to polarize French politics. Far-right TV host and former presidential candidate Eric Zemmoursaid Le Pen “was among the first to alert France to the existential threats that awaited it.” Far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, meanwhile, said that “the fight against the man is over” but that “the fight against the hatred, racism, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism that he spread continues.” Macron, for his part, said Le Pen’s legacy “is now a matter for history to judge."
Antisemitism is more prevalent than ever, warns activist Noa Tishby
Antisemitism is ancient. Antisemitism is modern. And lately, it's been on the rise. The Anti-Defamation League found 3,700 instances of antisemitic harassment, vandalism, or assault around the country last year, the highest number in its 43 years of tracking.
"Antisemitism is the oldest form of hate and discrimination that is still being practiced today," says Israeli-American actor and activist Noa Tishby, who served as Israel’s Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism before Prime Minister Netanyahu dismissed her for speaking out against his controversial judicial reform agenda. "What's happening is that it's so prevalent, it's so pervasive, it's everywhere in our society, but for some reason people don't give it as much attention."
Tishby joins Ian Bremmer on GZERO World for a wide-ranging discussion about the startling rise in anti-Jewish sentiment today. And nowhere, Tishby says, is antisemitism more prevalent in modern culture than on social media. "I do believe that to some extent, the Jews and Israel are patient zero with this."
Watch the GZERO World episode: Modern antisemitism on the rise
And watch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer every week at gzeromedia.com/gzeroworld or on US public television. Check local listings.
Modern antisemitism on the rise
Antisemitism is nothing new. An ancient Greek historian in the second century BCE railed against the “ridiculous practices” of the Jews and the “absurdity of their law.”
But lately, it feels like an ugly trend is back in fashion. And the numbers back that up. The Anti-Defamation League found 3,700 instances of antisemitic harassment, vandalism, or assault around the country last year, the highest number in its 43 years of tracking. And then there was the horrific attack at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue in 2018, which killed 11 people and remains the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the United States.
At what point do extremist politics—whether on the Right OR Left—become hate? And where do you draw the line between criticizing Israeli policies and being antisemitic? To help Ian Bremmer wade through these difficult questions is the Israeli actress, writer, and activist Noa Tishby. She served as Israel’s Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism before Prime Minister Netanyahu dismissed her for speaking out against his controversial judicial reform agenda.
And later, an early look at a new film about one of Israel’s most controversial leaders (present Prime Minister excluded). Golda Meir, Israel's first and still only female prime minister, was beloved until her handling of the Yom Kippur War of 1973. Now a new film starring Helen Mirren tries to reframe her tarnished legacy.
Watch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer every week at gzeromedia.com/gzeroworld or on US public television. Check local listings.
Podcast: Antisemitism's tragic persistence
Listen: Delve into a thought-provoking conversation that confronts the unsettling resurgence of antisemitism, tracing its historical roots and contemporary manifestations. A recent report from the Anti-Defamation League documents 3,700 instances of antisemitic harassment, vandalism, and assault— including the heart-wrenching attack at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue in 2018, a grim reminder of the deadliest assault on the Jewish community in the United States — and paints a troubling broader picture of modern antisemitism around the world.
Sitting down with Ian Bremmer on the GZERO World Podcast is Noa Tishby, an Israeli actress, writer, and activist who previously held the role of Israel's Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism. She is no stranger to controversy, having taken a principled stand against her nation's controversial judicial reform agenda. She shares her unique perspective about the history and causes of antisemitism and how it connects to Israel's right to exist and its identity. The discussion turns to the contentious boundary between critiquing Israeli policies and crossing into antisemitism, and also addresses a crucial question—when does the spectrum of extremist politics morph into hate?
Subscribe to the GZERO World Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.
Toronto the next Silicon Valley; AI in policing; NYC Marathon
Nicholas Thompson, editor-in-chief of WIRED, discusses technology industry news today:
Will Toronto become the next Silicon Valley?
A lot of really smart engineers are going to Toronto instead of the United States because of this country's self-defeating immigration policies. Building Silicon Valley requires even more. And ideally, there will be time for the United States to reverse all of its bad policies.
What role should AI play in policing?
There's a big scandal. Face recognition algorithms leading to an unjust arrest of a man for the very first time. Not surprisingly, this algorithms tend to not recognize black people. The man who was arrested in Detroit was black. I do not think that police departments should be relying on facial recognition for anything more than basic lead generation.
The New York City Marathon was just canceled. When will you next feel comfortable running a marathon?
I think it's going to be a while. I'd run a small marathon. People spaced out. Not one where there are thousands of people hunched together at the start.
Podcast: Breathing While Black with WaPo's Karen Attiah
Listen: In the latest episode of GZERO World, Ian Bremmer explores international reaction to the murder of George Floyd and global protests against police brutality and racism. Karen Attiah, Global Opinions Editor of The Washington Post, explains her view that, on issues of race and inequality, the U.S. is a "developing country," and while this moment of uprising offers hope for real change there is still much work to be done. Attiah discusses protestors taking to the streets despite fears of the COVID pandemic, and the centuries-long struggle black Americans have faced on the road to equality. Attiah also reflects on the 2018 murder of her Washington Post colleague Jamal Khashoggi, killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Breathing while Black: WaPo's Karen Attiah on racial injustice
In the latest episode of GZERO World, Ian Bremmer explores international reaction to the murder of George Floyd and global protests against police brutality and racism. Karen Attiah, Global Opinions Editor of The Washington Post, explains her view that, on issues of race and inequality, the U.S. is a "developing country," and while this moment of uprising offers hope for real change there is still much work to be done.
Attiah discusses protesters taking to the streets despite fears of the COVID pandemic, and the centuries-long struggle black Americans have faced on the road to equality. Attiah also reflects on the 2018 murder of her Washington Post colleague Jamal Khashoggi, killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
- US global reputation a year after George Floyd's murder; EU sanctions against Belarus; Olympics outlook - GZERO Media ›
- US global reputation a year after George Floyd's murder; EU sanctions against Belarus; Olympics outlook - GZERO Media ›
- Podcast: How we got here: Evaluating 1619 and US history with Nikole Hannah-Jones - GZERO Media ›
Washington Post’s Karen Attiah: U.S. a “developing country” on race, equality
In a personal and insightful interview with GZERO World host Ian Bremmer, Washington Post Global Opinion Editor Karen Attiah discusses this charged moment of unrest in America, and her own family's experiences with racism. Attiah, the daughter of Ghanaian immigrants, describes her father's journey from learning of Emmett Till's murder as a young boy to being cautious of police officers in Texas, despite the fact he was a successful doctor.
The complete interview is part of the latest episode of GZERO World, and begins airing today, Friday, June 19, nationally on public television stations. Check local listings and visit gzeromedia.com for more.