The dark shaft never misses its effect. It is dusty and cold, and if you’re leaning on the wall, and touching the same stones as the people who were here 80 years ago, huddled in the Dirt. Thousands Starving, with only four toilets available and from where, in 1941, eventually most were transported in cattle wagons to death camps. In the corridors and vaults, in which the Prisoners slept, omitted panels, the memorial site of the Camp des Milles, display, and historical classification. All visitors can agree on one thing: What happened here was wrong. They are divided from the question of when the Wrong begins. And where do we tolerate it today between us.

Alain Chouraqui has set in the past two days, in television studios, on the Radio talking and “Le Monde”, a long Interview. All want the same thing of him to know: where does the hatred of Jews? And every Time he tried, the latest swastika graffiti, the last provocations a little of himself to move away, to make room for the Basic. “We shed light on the present, without speaking about the actuality.”

France is scared straight in front of himself. It must be said again. In the Land of equality and brotherhood have been killed in the past few years, people like Sarah Halimi and Ilan Halimi because they were Jews. Others will be offended for the same reason, and threatened. It has never stopped, but in the past two weeks, the bad news crammed into a density that the country had known for decades.

France scares just in front of himself. It must be said again.

9. February: On the window of a branch of the chain Bagelstein in the centre of Paris, someone writes with a yellow color “the Jews”. 10. February: The work of a street artist in honor of the politician and Holocaust Survivor Simone Veil is covered with swastikas. 11. February: A tree that is reminiscent of the murdered Ilan Halimi. 11. February: The interior Ministry announces that the number of anti-Semitic Attacks has risen to 74 percent, 541 cases were reported in 2018. 16. February: The French philosopher Alain Finkielkraut is insulted at the edge of a Demonstration of the so-called yellow the West as “dirty Jew”. 18. February: A Jewish cemetery in the Alsace region, is defiled. 19. February: Unknown swastikas to put on tombstones of the village cemetery at Lyon. President Emmanuel Macron speaks on Wednesday evening, “an unprecedented resurgence of anti-Semitism”, such as France and Europe had not experienced since the Second world war.

Where the former President François Hollande, were dozens in the Dirt: memorial Camp des Milles in Aix-en-Provence. Photo: Reuters

On Tuesday night, 20’000 people in Paris’ Place de la Republique gather. At the same time, Alain Chouraqui, stands in front of the town hall of Aix-en-Provence, shakes hands and spread optimism. A good 500 people came together, many have become glued to the yellow star on the breast, on which “I am a Jew” is, because solidarity since the attack on “Charlie Hebdo” in January 2015, is expressed in “I am”formulas. The people are outraged, confused, ashamed. And who would be a better addressee for their feelings than Chouraqui, reminding you for the past 30 years, the fact that there is also here in the South of France enough reasons to be outraged and to be ashamed of.

in 1982, began Chouraqui and his father, to fight to ensure that the brick factory stands in front of the gates of the city to its history. In 2012, there was opened the memorial, recalled that in the huge brick building is one of the largest French camp – the Camp des Milles to the internment of Jews, Sinti and Roma, and opposition was accommodated. “For So many years, we have been telling people how it really was. And it brings nothing at all,” says a politician to be On the front of the town hall and looks to the ground. The laughs, however. “You can’t give up the fight,” he says, “where it all starts really.”

In these days, all the French Newspapers declare implants, in which Milieus the anti-Semitism of the most reliable. Because the extreme Right, who hold the core Beliefs of the national socialists. Then there is a part of the Left in its support for Palestine so far, Israel’s right to exist in doubt. And finally, Islamist preachers who fan the flames of hatred against Jews are to be found among France’s Muslims.

“By telling others what happened here specifically, you can feel what it means when you treat people like animals.”José Gomez

Chouraqui want people with different Beliefs come to him, that you think and understand. The man for special groups is Jose Gomez. His special area of expertise: young people, where you look at the tips of the toes up to the ears, that you have no desire to do anything “to hear about the Jews”. Some of these young people, the mouth remains open, when you will arrive at the Camp des Milles, and of Gomez. In the North of Marseille, where Gomez grew up and where the available buildings in all Social to each other in series, he is pretty well known. The 30-Year-old professional boxer. And also historical facts from Gomez as right and left hook. In front of him a group of young people, the Youngest is 12, the Oldest 16, and they come from the 15. Located in the heart of Marseille, it is one of the quarters, the French politicians today “prioritaire”. A priority means something like: If we don’t do slowly something that flies us all to the ears. Most of them are come in to the Camp des Milles, it’s your everyday uniform.

“Here, thousands of people have lain side by side on the floor, without light and heating. What do you think they did, if the time on the toilet had to? Have zeroed-in on.” Paff. Gomez’ first blow. “This is the map of France 1940, here in the South of Philippe Pétain. Do you think the Jewish children were spared? The were handed over to the Nazis, without the had asked.” Bang, second shot. “You see down there in front of the window of the railway carriage? Since people were imprisoned, transported to the extermination camps. Here at the top of the window you could hear their screams. This used to be called suicide window, because the people prefer down have fallen, come when in the car. Some women had their Baby in her arms, when she jumped.” Bang, the third blow.

Never talked about history

Gomez’ grandparents were French Gypsies with Spanish roots, who have lived in Algeria. When he talks about his family, says Gomez, “tzigane”, a Gypsy, as he defines himself, not as a Sinto, and not as a Rom. Gomez came in 2012 for the first Time to the Camp des Milles, the President of the Boxing clubs brought him in. The exhibition was “like a slap in the face,” says Gomez. He knew that in France, there were camps in which Sinti and Roma, inter were not returned, he knew that some 23,000 were deported to Auschwitz. In his family it was never talked about history.

Spoiled: The portrait of a Holocaust Survivor Simone Veil is covered with swastikas. Photo: Keystone

“By telling others what happened here specifically, you can feel what it means when you treat people like animals,” says Gomez. His parents, he says, would not have him told a lot about European history, but they had taught him what it means, compassion. “I will not fight for people to understand the history of the Gypsy better. I have been fighting for, that anyone can decide to be not a follower.”

Alain Chouraqui, sitting with a glass of red wine in the Brasserie Leopold, the rally in front of the town hall is over and he is now too tired for encouraging sayings. “We are in a catastrophic situation.” Chouraqui has two perspectives, which shape his views of the world. For one thing, he is a political scientist and sociologist. On the other hand he is the son of Sidney Chouraqui, in Algeria-born Résistancekämpfer, who fought under de Gaulle against Hitler. He, and others, again and again the same question: when is it time to resist? His answer is: now. “The Rise of anti-Semitism you can always tell how weakened is a democracy. The story shows how great is the Power of anti-Semitism; the earlier proceeding against him, the more efficient you can make resistance.”

thanks to the movement of the “gilets jaunes” France had spoken for a couple of weeks on social issues and on fundamental questions of democracy. Since the anti-Semitic attacks in the past, says Chouraqui, “maybe that was exactly the goal of the provocateurs?” He observed, with what indignation the people with anti-Semitism. “The Problem is, for many, in the end, not the hatred of Jews, but about Jews is spoken.” And it is precisely to this effect, anti-Semites continued to attack the Jews.

it has considered As Alain Chouraqui, with his father Sidney, what to take for the visitors when they leave the Camp des Milles, a important: no one should believe the people at the time had been dumber. Who is alive today, says Chouraqui, has only one advantage: He can try to recognize when he’s running like a sheep in the wrong direction.

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 21.02.2019, 21:45 PM