Mélenchon accused of antisemitism after claiming CRIF 'gives orders' to French ministers

French far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon ignited controversy by claiming ministers "follow orders" from the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF). His remarks, made during a conference, were interpreted as reviving antisemitic tropes about secret Jewish influence over politicians.

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The CRIF, well, it’s basically some far-right machine where every year all the ministers line up to go eat there. They pay 800 euros to go eat there, but taxes reimburse 60 percent of it, so it works out fine. So they all go there, and they follow orders.

Mélenchon's comments came after the Paris police banned a planned 'anti-racism' concert organized by his party, La France Insoumise (LFI). The ban, citing potential public disorder and concerns over invited artists, was later suspended by the Paris Administrative Court following an appeal by LFI.

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When Jean-Luc Mélenchon suggests that the government is ‘taking orders’ from CRIF, he is not merely engaging in political controversy: he is reviving an antisemitic trope based on the fantasy of secret Jewish influence over those in power.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau condemned Mélenchon's insinuations, stating they fuel conspiracy thinking and are unworthy of a political leader. CRIF President Yonathan Arfi echoed this sentiment, accusing LFI of running an "antisemitic fantasy machine."

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These insinuations, which fuel conspiracy thinking, are unworthy of a political leader. They must be called out for what they are.