French Jewish Presidential Candidate Calls to Ban Kippah in Public

Éric Zemmour, the Jewish chairman of the right-wing Reconquête party in France, has stated his support for banning the kippah, the Jewish skullcap, in public spaces, alongside a proposed ban on the Muslim hijab. In a recent interview on BFMTV, Zemmour was asked if the ban on religious symbols he advocates should include the kippah. "In public places, yes," he responded. Zemmour explained that his parents used to ask him to remove his kippah when leaving the synagogue, which he believes aligns with the "spirit" of French secularism, interpreted as not displaying religious affiliation publicly. The 68-year-old candidate also noted that many French Jews already refrain from wearing the kippah in public due to fears of antisemitic attacks. He declared the ban on religious symbols an "absolute priority," particularly emphasizing the need to prohibit the Muslim hijab. Zemmour, who is of Algerian Jewish descent, announced his intention to run in next year's presidential election, having previously garnered about 7% of the vote in 2022. He is known for his hardline stance on immigration and Islam in France, previously calling for Muslims to choose between "Islam or France" and suggesting a ban on non-French names. Despite his Jewish heritage, Zemmour faces criticism from some within the French Jewish community, who argue his anti-Muslim rhetoric complicates their efforts to highlight the threat of rising Islamist antisemitism to French Jews. Critics also believe his statements create an impression of Jewish racism. French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy has called Zemmour "dangerous and a disgrace to Jewish morality."

In other interview segments, Zemmour outlined immigration policy proposals, including deporting foreign nationals convicted of crimes, illegal migrants, and those reliant on social benefits. He also suggested allowing authorities to compel long-term unemployed legal foreign residents to leave France, anticipating that AI and robotics could eventually replace immigrant labor.

Meanwhile, another Jewish candidate for the 2027 French presidential election is Raphaël Glucksmann, a 46-year-old MEP and co-founder of the center-left Place publique party. Glucksmann is participating in joint primaries with the Socialist Party and other moderate left forces, explicitly rejecting an alliance with Jean-Luc Mélenchon's far-left La France Insoumise. Glucksmann distinguishes between Muslims and political Islam, viewing groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and political Islam as threats that the state must counter, including through addressing foreign funding from Qatar and Turkey. However, he opposes the collective stigmatization of Muslims and advocates for strengthening secular institutions and integration rather than implementing politically motivated bans. Regarding Jews and Israel, Glucksmann condemns antisemitism and Hamas, supporting Israeli victims after October 7, 2023. Concurrently, he has characterized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government's actions in Gaza as crimes, advocating for sanctions against the Israeli government, suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement, and recognizing a Palestinian state, envisioning a two-state solution.