On April 16, the government announced the withdrawal of the Yadan bill, but also its intention to reintroduce an identical bill within a few months. A tactical retreat, this postponement of the law demonstrates that the struggle and popular pressure are paying off against attempts to silence criticism of Zionism. But let's not declare victory too soon, and let's not give up! The government remains determined to repress solidarity with Palestine, and above all, France continues to support the Zionist state in its colonial expansion in the West Bank, Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon.
The bill "against renewed forms of antisemitism" will therefore not be passed by the National Assembly. Sponsored by Caroline Yadan, a member of parliament representing French citizens living abroad and a caricature of the Israeli state, the bill reflected its promoter. The law, which does not hesitate to compare Palestinians to mosquitoes[1], aimed to prohibit the presentation of acts recognized as "terrorist" by the State as a form of resistance, to consider comparisons between the Holocaust and other genocides as a form of relativism, and to prohibit calls for the "destruction or denial" of a State recognized by the French Republic. Some of these provisions had already been softened to follow the recommendations of the Council of State, but the law remained a major attack.
STRENGTHS AND LIMITS OF MASSIVE MOBILIZATION
The Yadan Law was proposed as the racist and colonial nature of the Zionist State became increasingly difficult to deny. It was announced as Israel launched a war of aggression against Iran, then against Lebanon, and while the genocide continued in Gaza and the abuses of settlers and the army in the West Bank intensified. On March 30, the Knesset voted for the death penalty for Palestinians only, continuing the torture system implemented by the Israeli state, both inside and outside its prisons[2].
Significant opposition quickly organized. A petition launched on the National Assembly's website demanding a parliamentary debate on the withdrawal of the Yadan Law quickly reached 700,000 signatures... which did not prevent parliamentarians from refusing to consider it. Theoretically, petitions launched on the National Assembly's website can trigger a parliamentary debate when they reach 500,000 signatures, but in reality, the National Assembly is under no obligation to put them on the agenda. This mechanism reveals itself for what it is: a charade, which allows the illusion of "citizen participation" to be maintained at little cost.
The Yadan Law, officially titled "Bill to Combat Renewed Forms of Antisemitism," is a French legislative text introduced by Macronist MP Caroline Yadan, aimed at prohibiting any criticism of the policies pursued by the Israeli far-right in power.
Jeanne Menjoulet
However, this postponement also reveals something else: that popular pressure, even when expressed through an institutional mechanism designed to curb it, is effective. The massive mobilization has forced each political group to confront its responsibilities: the despicable Socialist Party, two of whose MPs had nonetheless signed the bill, finally announced its opposition. The government itself, citing parliamentary obstruction by La France Insoumise, ultimately withdrew the bill.
A MIXED VICTORY
So, have we won? The MPs from La France Insoumise were quick to declare victory the day after the bill's withdrawal. Partly with good reason, since we are buying time. But we must not let our guard down. Repression didn't need the Yadan Law to target supporters of the Palestinian people.
The search of Rima Hassan's home is a striking example. On Thursday, April 2, the MEP was taken into custody for "apology for terrorism," a liberty-curbing offense widely used to suppress solidarity with the Palestinian people. During her detention, leaks were orchestrated to the press, and numerous articles reported the alleged presence of synthetic drugs in her bag-information denied a few days later. On April 16, Mediapart even revealed that the MEP had been tracked by the police: her personal files were examined and all her movements since January were traced, violating both her privacy and her parliamentary activities[3].
This case is not isolated: the numerous arrests for "apology for terrorism" over the past two and a half years demonstrate the state's determination to repress solidarity with Palestine and the anti-racist movement. Disproportionate police measures, aimed at intimidation, have been commonplace: for example, the raid on the Jewish Union for Peace and the freezing of Omar Alsoumi's assets.
We can never rely on bourgeois parliamentary institutions; only a mass popular movement can force the government to back down from its criminalization of solidarity with Palestine.
FRENCH MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND RESEARCH
The Yadan Law would have provided a legal pretext for accelerating and systematizing repression, following the model of Italy or Germany, which have already adopted laws criminalizing anti-Zionism[4]. The government wants France to follow suit and is already proposing that all parliamentary forces work together to draft a new law with the same objectives. Far from curbing antisemitism, this judicial and police arsenal is actually aimed at attacking the social movement and political opposition. It is a continuation of the repressive policies pursued by the government: expulsions of imams, dissolution of Muslim associations and left-wing organizations... Using the "fight against antisemitism" to justify this political agenda only endangers Jews by associating them with racist policies and France's complicity with Zionism.
AN AGGRAVATING FACTOR IN FASCIZATION
Support for Israel is once again proving to be a major accelerator of France's fascization. As Césaire had already demonstrated in 1950 in his Discourse on Colonialism, the colonialism that Europe commits or supports can only lead to its "brutalization." Support for Israel's genocidal policies has unleashed a massive wave of racist rhetoric and provided a ready-made pretext for the repression of political opposition, while Israel continues to sell its technologies of repression and surveillance, arguing that they have proven effective against Palestinians[5].
However, the government's repressive ferocity also reveals its fear of solidarity with Palestine. Its retreat on the Yadan Law is part of a series of partial, but very real, victories at the European level. On March 31, Israel announced the suspension of its arms purchases from France, preferring to turn to more reliable allies. The decision was motivated in particular by the cancellation of Israeli booths at arms fairs, achieved thanks to popular mobilization. On April 14, the far-right Italian government announced the suspension of its defense agreement with Israel, following mass social movements against the genocide. These decisions are insufficient, and their actual implementation must be monitored; but they show that mobilization can pay off, and that even fanatical supporters of Israel can be forced to reduce their complicity with the genocide. It is up to us to intensify the struggle until Palestine and the entire region are liberated from Zionist domination. Repression will not silence us!
Danielle (UCL Lyon)
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[1]On X, tweets from February 21, July 14, and August 27, 2024.
[2]"Genocide in Palestine: Israel has developed a concentration camp system," Alternative libertaire no. 351, July-August 2024.
[3]David Perrotin, "Rima Hassan's detention: how the police tracked the MEP," Mediapart, April 16, 2026.
[4]Leandros Fischer, "'The antifascism of fools': on the function of the current 'anti-Semitic witch hunt' in Germany," Against Anti-Semitism and Its Instrumentalizations, La Fabrique, 2024, pp. 87-116.
[5]Sarah Bénichou, Simon Mauvieux, Mathieu Rigouste, "Elnet, at the service of the Israeli war business", Orient XXI, March 9, 2026.
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Loi-Yadan-Un-retrait-tactique-maintenons-la-pression
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Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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