Israel's ambassador to France says far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon's rhetoric against Jews reminds him of Hitler, warning that foreign influence is fueling a surge in antisemitism as France recorded one thousand three hundred twenty antisemitic acts in 2025—triple the four hundred thirty-six incidents in 2022.
Israeli Ambassador Joshua Zarka told Fox News that France is home to Europe's largest Muslim community contributing to high volumes of antisemitic incidents, yet France also has Europe's largest Jewish community. The number of events is extremely high not because the French government fails fighting antisemitism but because there is a growing base in which Jew-hatred is flourishing, he said, due to foreign influence from Iran, Russia, Turkey, and Qatar.
"The way Jean-Luc Mélenchon speaks in front of a crowd reminds me of Hitler. The way he uses the idea of uniting against one enemy by speaking of Israel is similar to the way Hitler used to speak about the Jews."
While state actors fuel Jew-hatred from outside, certain French political actors exploit antisemitism for electoral purposes. Mélenchon's La France Insoumise party stands foremost among them, according to Zarka. In February, the Human Rights League criticized Mélenchon after he mocked pronunciation of Jewish names, including MEP Raphaël Glucksmann's. Mélenchon previously wrote that antisemitism remains residual in France—remarks critics said downplayed the surge in Jew-hatred following Hamas's October 7th massacre.
Recent incidents include January's partial cutting of a tree memorializing Ilan Halimi, who was murdered in a 2006 antisemitic attack. February brought an assault on a kippah-wearing boy by five individuals, one holding a knife to his throat. Later that month acid was sprayed in a kosher restaurant's dining rooms. April saw racist and antisemitic graffiti targeting three high schools in Montpellier metropolitan area.
The Council of French Jewish Communities reported that some Jewish families forgo displaying mezuzahs or use different names on mobile apps to avoid identification. Yet Jewish community leaders refuse retreating, with synagogues full and more kosher restaurants open than ever, demonstrating determination to maintain openly vibrant Jewish life despite escalating attacks.
The surge in French antisemitism reflects the dangerous consequences when political leaders exploit Jew-hatred for electoral purposes while foreign actors fuel antisemitic terrorism. Mélenchon's rhetoric comparing Israel unfavorably to unite against common enemies echoes Hitler's antisemitic rhetoric—a parallel the Israeli ambassador appropriately identifies. France must confront that far-left politicians deliberately weaponize antisemitism while foreign adversaries amplify Jew-hatred, creating environments where Jews hide their identities to survive daily life in a nation supposedly committed to human rights and dignity for all citizens.