Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced on Thursday that the bill aimed at combating "renewed forms of antisemitism" would be placed on the parliamentary agenda "as early as April." The text, sponsored by Renaissance MP Caroline Yadan, will be presented in a version amended by the Council of State.
The proposal, tabled in the National Assembly at the end of January, notably includes the creation of a new offense punishable by five years' imprisonment and a fine of 75,000 euros for "inciting the destruction or denial of a State." It also broadens the offense of glorifying terrorism.
A text that is already contested
The proposal has drawn criticism from several elected officials and associations, who believe it could lead to a conflation of Judaism and the State of Israel and restrict criticism of Israeli government policy. Sébastien Lecornu defended the text, arguing that claiming to be anti-Zionist amounts to challenging Israel's right to exist.
The head of government also reaffirmed the executive branch's commitment to enshrining in law the ineligibility of candidates for antisemitic and racist remarks. Parliamentary debates on this issue are expected to be sensitive.
