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Hanouka celebration at the Élysée: Emmanuel Macron defends himself after the controversy
Hanouka celebration at the Élysée: Emmanuel Macron defends himself after the controversy – (France 2)
Emmanuel Macron defended himself on Friday, December 8, after the controversy sparked by the celebration at the Élysée the day before the start of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. The head of state explained that he himself did not participate in a prayer.
The Chief Rabbi of France lit the candle on Thursday, December 7, to mark the start of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. But by accepting that this ceremony take place within the walls of the Élysée, Emmanuel Macron has lit the fuse of a lively controversy. “It is a mistake”judged Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France. Part of the political class was also fired up, a little on the right and a lot on the left.
The question of secularism already raised during the Pope’s visit
The Head of State assumed, during a visit to Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral on Friday, the holding of this religious ritual at the Élysée. Emmanuel Macron explained that he himself did not participate in a prayer. The question of secularism had already arisen in September, when Emmanuel Macron attended the mass celebrated by the Pope in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône). But today, according to some, it is the very idea of the 1905 law separating Churches and State which is being flouted. Thursday evening, other religious leaders were present at the Élysée, and this ceremony concluded the presentation of an award to the French president for his fight against anti-Semitism.
