Jewish candidate for president of France: "Ban wearing kippah in public places"

Éric Zemmour, a Jewish candidate for president of France from the right-wing party Reconquête, has called for a ban on wearing the kippah in public places alongside the hijab. In an interview, he stated that this aligns with the principle of secularism and noted that Jews already almost never wear the kippah due to anti-Semitic attacks. Zemmour also proposed deporting foreigners convicted of crimes and illegal migrants.

Éric Zemmour, a Jewish candidate for president of France from the right-wing party Reconquête, has called for a ban on wearing the kippah in public places alongside the Muslim hijab. In an interview on the program Face à BFM on BFMTV, he stated that this aligns with the "spirit" of the French principle of secularism, which requires not displaying religious affiliation. Zemmour recounted that in his childhood, his parents asked him to remove his kippah when leaving the synagogue. He also noted that today, French Jews already almost never wear the kippah on the street due to fears of anti-Semitic attacks. He called the introduction of a ban on displaying religious symbols an "absolute priority," particularly emphasizing the need to ban the hijab. Zemmour announced his intention to run in the presidential election next year; he previously ran in 2022 and received about 7% of the vote. He also proposed deporting foreigners convicted of criminal offenses, illegal migrants, and foreigners entirely dependent on social benefits. The article also mentions another Jewish candidate, Raphaël Glucksmann from the center-left party Place publique, who takes a more moderate stance on Islam and criticizes Netanyahu's policy in Gaza.