Far-Right Pundit Zemmour Links Immigration to Anti-Semitism in France

Speaking on the LCI channel, Zemmour claimed that the rise of anti-Semitism in France is the fruit of Islamic culture. "We were told that Islam was a religion of peace and love, whereas we know well that this anti-Semitism is the product of an Islamic culture that goes back a long way. I would prefer the minister to do everything to stop an immigration that is 400,000 entries per year," said the essayist, believing that this "mass immigration", particularly from Morocco, is the breeding ground for Islamism.

These statements provoked outraged reactions on social networks, notably from the Franco-Moroccan comedian Yassine Belattar, who has just announced his resignation from the news channel he accuses of endorsing this kind of speech. "I’m so angry... I’m resigning from @LCI... It’s shameful," he wrote. "I no longer believe I have a place on @LCI following these unworthy remarks... There is a difference between freedom of expression and freedom of provocation. Good luck in your escalation," he was outraged.

Bellatar says, this time in an interview with L’Obs, that he is "fed up with seeing young people from the suburbs regularly hit with nuclear warheads by polemicists," accusing Zemmour of being a liar. "I remind you that he was convicted of incitement to racial hatred. It has become impossible to endorse such remarks on a set".