‘’France would not be France without the contribution of Judaism,’’ said French Prime Minister Jean Castex.

The French government will announce new measures to fight anti-Semitism early next year, Prime Minister Jean Castex said.

Addressing the National Convention of CRIF, the umbrella representative group of French Jewish institutions, on Sunday, Castex stressed ‘’how unbearable it is that anti-Semitism is still there and continues to surface more and more often in public debate and social networks, whether in the form of old lunacies of the extreme right, unfortunately renewed, whether under the guise of anti-Zionism, whether behind an insidious discourse claiming to denounce the powers of money in order to actually stigmatize the Jews.’’

He added: ‘’In the face of these dangers, old and new, I want to solemnly remind you that the Republic is doing everything possible to allow the French Jewish community to live, at home, in complete security. It has the imperative duty to do so with regard to all its fellow citizens, regardless of their faith or origin.’’

‘’Justice must pass without trembling in the case of an anti-Semitic crime: it has just done so for the murderer of Mireille Knoll,” he said. ‘’And if the law, in certain situations, does not allow it, then it must be modified: this is what will be done with the draft text relating to criminal responsibility and internal security, which will be adopted in the next few weeks, in accordance with the commitment of the President of the Republic, on the question of criminal responsibility in the event of disorder resulting from the consumption of psychoactive products,’’ the Prime Minister added in a reference to a legal row earlier this year when the antisemitic killer of Sarah Halimi was not prosecuted after being declared insane by the court because his mind was affected by regular consumption of cannabis.

He also said that ”much also depends on prevention and education, and an ever greater effort must be made to deconstruct anti-Semitic stereotypes.”

‘’France would not be France without the contribution of Judaism,’’ he insisted as he spoke of the contribution of Jews to France. ”Judaism is part of France’s identity and its contribution has even been essential. It has been embodied in personal sacrifices as much as in the productions of thought and creation,’’ Castex said.