The terrorist attack carried out by Hamas on 7 October reignited the trauma of the November 2015 Paris attacks for many in French society. With its large Jewish and Muslim communities, and a fraught colonial past in the Middle East and North Africa, France is being torn apart by the events in Gaza and Israel. While the war in Ukraine generated a rare consensus within the French population and political class, the war in Gaza may expose the strong divides that underpin it. And, just three months after the violent riots that followed the killing of a young French Muslim by police, French authorities fear another outburst of violence may be imminent. Over a hundred anti-Semitic acts were reported in the five days following the Hamas attack.

Source: The North Africa Journal October 19, 2023 14:32 UTC