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EMMANUEL MACRON

Macron says Hamas attack on Israel was ‘biggest anti-Semitic massacre of our century’

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday described the October 7th attack by Hamas on Israel as the "biggest anti-Semitic massacre of our century" as he hosted a ceremony paying tribute to the French victims.

Macron says Hamas attack on Israel was 'biggest anti-Semitic massacre of our century'
French President Emmanuel Macron (C) attends a ceremony to pay tribute to the 42 French citizens killed and to all the victims of the Hamas assault on Israel on October 7th. Photo by GONZALO FUENTES / POOL / AFP

He described the attack by the Palestinian militant group as “barbarism… which is fed by anti-Semitism and propagates it”, vowing also not to give in to “rampant and uninhibited anti-Semitism”.

The ceremony at Les Invalides memorial complex in Paris paid tribute to the 42 French citizens killed in the attack on Israel by Hamas and the three others still missing, believed to be held hostage.

Macron said France would work “every day” for the release of the remaining French hostages. “Their empty chairs are there,” he said at the ceremony.

“Nothing can justify or excuse terrorism,” he said.

The French presidency has also indicated it will provide an opportunity to remember French victims of Israel’s bombardments of the Gaza Strip, but has not given details on the format.

The bloodiest ever Gaza war started with Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7th, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Militants also seized around 250 hostages. Israel says 132 remain in Gaza, of whom 29 are believed to have died.

Israel vowed to eliminate Hamas and launched air strikes and a ground offensive that have killed at least 27,585 people, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry.

“All lives are equal, are invaluable in the eyes of France,” said Macron, describing war as a “tornado of suffering”.

He also vowed that France would “never allow the spirit of revenge to prosper” and that “in these challenges nothing should divide us”.

He said that France would do everything to “respond to the aspirations of peace and security for everyone in the Middle East”.

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EMMANUEL MACRON

Macron says ‘all European nationalists are hidden Brexiteers’

French President Emmanuel Macron said all European nationalists were "hidden Brexiteers" in an interview with the Economist published on Thursday, warning voters ahead of European elections next month.

Macron says 'all European nationalists are hidden Brexiteers'

“I say to Europeans: Wake up. Wake up! They are hidden Brexiteers. All European nationalists are hidden Brexiteers. It’s all the same lies,” he said.

“Make no mistake. If you entrust the keys to people who think like they do, there is no reason why Europe should become a great power,” he said.

“In a way it’s as if we were saying it’s not a problem if we entrust the bank to robbers. When they are around the table, they take Europe hostage.”

Macron gave the example of the French far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party, which is now leading in opinion polls for the European contest, ahead of his own centrist alliance.

The RN “wanted to pull out of Europe, out of the euro, out of everything,” he said.

“Now it no longer says anything. It’s reaping the benefits of Europe, while wanting to destroy it without saying anything.

“And that’s true in every country,” he added.

He noted that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose Brothers of Italy party has neo-fascist roots, had “a European approach” and had “supported the asylum and immigration pact”.

But “after that, the best way of building together is to have as few nationalists as possible”, he added.

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