French Premier Slammed for ‘Jewish Influence’ by Aging Ex-Foreign Minister
Roland Dumas, 92, once served as French foreign minister. Image by getty images
France’s ruling Socialists rushed to condemn an aging former minister from among their ranks on Monday after he suggested Prime Minister Manuel Valls was probably acting under Jewish “influence.”
Valls has been vocal in his defense of Jews in France, both before and after the January Islamist attacks that killed 17 people, including four Jews.
Roland Dumas, 92, who twice served as foreign minister under Francois Mitterrand, criticized Valls, saying the prime minister “has personal alliances that mean he has prejudices.”
“Everyone knows he is married to someone really good but who has an influence on him,” Dumas told BFM-TV, without mentioning the name of Valls’ Jewish wife, a violinist.
Pressed to answer the question “Is he under a Jewish influence?” Dumas responded, “Probably, I would think so.”
In a statement, the Socialist party said Dumas’ statements were “unworthy of a Socialist decorated by the Republic.”
Asked to comment, Valls told reporters he would be “sullied” were he to respond, but said Dumas was “a man with a known past and his remarks which have done no credit to the Republic for a long time.”
Dumas is known for controversial comments, such as denying the official account of the attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001.
On Monday, following the weekend attacks in Copenhagen which targeted a synagogue and free-speech event, Valls underscored the need for high security in France to defend against what he called “Islamo-fascism.”
He called upon Jews to remain in France, promising the “strongest possible” legal response after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called anew upon European Jews to emigrate to Israel after the Copenhagen attacks.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
