In the National Assembly, the petition against the Yadan law has surpassed 400,000 signatures.

On Monday evening, April 6, the petition against the proposed law "aimed at combating renewed forms of antisemitism" surpassed 400,000 signatures on the National Assembly's website. Around 11:30 p.m., the counter displayed 400,712 signatories, having already exceeded 300,000 the previous day. This figure doesn't tell the whole story, but it already reveals something: on a highly sensitive issue, a segment of the population has chosen the most institutional channel possible—a click on the parliamentary platform.

The counter is going wild, the debate is approaching

The initiative, spearheaded by 26-year-old agricultural engineer Alexandre Balasse, challenges the spirit of the measure and expresses concern about the potential confusion between antisemitism and criticism of Israel, which he labels anti-Zionism. In his statement, he highlights a risk to freedom of expression, particularly when opinions address the Palestinian cause. Opposing him, Member of Parliament Caroline Yadan argues that the measure is a response to the rise in antisemitic acts observed since the fall of 2023 and a strengthening of the legal framework against new forms of antisemitism, especially online, including expanding the offense of glorifying terrorism and creating a new offense of state denial.

There remains the cold but decisive arithmetic of the rules of the house: beyond 100,000 signatures, a petition is automatically featured on the platform; at 500,000, coming from at least 30 departments, it can open the door to a debate in the plenary session, subject to the agreement of the conference of group leaders. The bill itself is scheduled for April 16 and 17, which leaves little time for it to continue its progress. Caught between the desire to protect and the fear of silencing dissent, the Assembly is about to walk a fine line, with the nation watching intently.