Comedian Marie s'infiltre, whose real name is Marie Benoliel, was attacked in the Old Port of Marseille by a group claiming to be pro-Palestinian activists. What was supposed to be a simple break on a terrace turned into a moment of solitude and fear for a French, Jewish artist in her own country. Interview strongly denounces this unbearable conflation of political commitment and identity-based hatred.
In a moving text published on Instagram, the comedian recounts sitting down at a Marseille café terrace, before being recognized, singled out, and then targeted. "I order a mauresque, ready for the thrill of an aperitif... and I hear someone shouting very loudly behind me: 'Long live the struggle of the Palestinian people!'" she writes. A slogan that Marie Benoliel describes as "legitimate, libertarian," but here it is diverted into a hateful rallying cry, chanted repeatedly and aggressively. "I have no doubt that it is being shouted at me," she continues. She tries to open a dialogue, approaches, smiles. Opposite, she finds only hard looks and violent responses.
The simple fact of being identified as Jewish was enough to trigger hostility. “I’m afraid that people will recognize me as Jewish, that my mere presence will fuel hatred and violence,” she confides later. Far from a simple anecdote, this scene resonates in a poisonous climate, where anti-Semitism is expressed more and more openly, hidden behind supposedly committed postures. Marie’s message, seen by hundreds of thousands of subscribers, is chillingly serious: “I’m too lazy to be Jewish. I’m too lazy to justify myself. You don’t know what it’s like to tell yourself that things will get better… when they get worse.”
Another Jewish woman targeted: the precedent Julia Layani
Her testimony sadly recalls that of Julia Layani, a Jewish LGBT activist and podcaster who was excluded last November from the jury of the “Chéries-Chéris” festival. Here too, under the cover of a petition put together by activists, her Jewish identity and alleged “Zionism” were used to designate her as a political enemy. She, too, recounted being ostracized, manipulated, and barred from performing for having wanted to mention the Israeli hostages in a speech for peace. The same mechanism, the same logic of exclusion: Jewishness becomes the accusation, and a sincere commitment to peace is swept aside by a sectarian ideology.
France is going through a moment of division, where some activists confuse justice with vindictiveness, freedom with intimidation. Behind the banner of noble causes, such as that of Palestine, sometimes creeps an old racism, one we thought had disappeared or at least been marginalized. These excesses must be denounced without ambiguity. Because by constantly accepting these ambiguities, the entire republican pact is crumbling: the one where everyone, regardless of their origin, can drink a coffee on a terrace without having to justify their religion.
“No one will kick me out of a café in France.” Marie s'infiltre's words, spoken with dignity and rage, should be a rallying cry for all those who refuse to see France become the scene of identity apartheid.
Anti-Semitism is a crime, not an opinion.
