Jewish Leaders Briefed by French Interior Minister in Washington on Anti-Terrorism Measures, Commitment to Combat Anti-Semitism

February 24, 2015

Mark Weitzman, the Wiesenthal Center’s Director of Government Affairs, along with other American Jewish leaders were briefed by French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve  (photo below left) on the ongoing threats from Islamist terrorists and the measures being taken to combat the scourge of anti-Semitism.

“We applaud the commitment expressed by Minister Cazeneuve and the French government to safeguard the Jewish community in France and to fight against all manifestations of anti-Semitism and extremism in France,” Weitzman said. “The Wiesenthal Center is in close touch with French officials to help create strategies that will degrade the marketing capabilities of ISIS and other Islamist extremists,” Weitzman added.

“However, while we welcome all these measures, the Wiesenthal Center is outraged and deeply concerned by the insertion of anti-Semitism into the mainstream of French politics by former Foreign Minister Roland Dumas who alleged undue “Jewish influence” on the government. It will be up to France’s elite, in government, media and the culture to make clear that anti-Semitism will not be tolerated wherever it rears its ugly head and whatever the source,” he concluded.

For further information please contact Shimon Samuels 00 33 609 77 01 58, join the Center on Facebook, www.facebook.com/simonwiesenthalcenter, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent direct to your Twitter feed.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400.000 members. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the OAS and the Latin American Parliament.