Yaël Braun-Pivet, the President of France's National Assembly, (equivalent to the US House of Representatives) has declared that she has filed a complaint after being sent an antisemitic letter, with a yellow Star of David. This isn't Braun-Pivet's first encounter with such hatred; the Member of Parliament from Yvelines, had sounded the alarm over similar incidents to the French courts this past March.
Les corbeaux aussi font leur rentrée… Alerter, toujours. Porter plainte, systématiquement. Pour #NeRienLaisserPasser, jamais ! #antisémitisme pic.twitter.com/T1L1ppHTo1
— Yaël Braun-Pivet (@YaelBRAUNPIVET) September 11, 2023
On the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Braun-Pivet shared her experience, revealing she received the troubling letter at her office in Vésinet, a suburb near Paris. The envelope displayed a hand-drawn yellow star, reminiscent of the Star of David Jews were mandated to wear during the Holocaust.
She expressed her stance in a post: "Always alert, always file a complaint. Never let [incidents like this] pass! #antisemitism".
Previously in March, as stated in a 20 Minutes report, Braun-Pivet had filed a complaint concerning another incident in which she was the recipient of what she described as an "absolutely abominable threat letter."
Several French citizens and politicians rallied behind Braun-Pivet on social media. The Huffington Post documented many of these supportive messages. One of which was from Prisca Thévenot, the French Secretary of State responsible for Youth matters, who affirmed, "All my support, Yaël!" Additionally, François Piquemal, a deputy of Haute-Garonne, a region in southwestern France, voiced his dismay and support, stating, "Such a shame, all my support to you."
The Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF) published a statement on Tuesday, supporting the Jewish politician. "CRIF provides its full support to Yaël Braun-Pivet as well as to all elected officials who are frequently victims of antisemitic insults and threats," the CRIF said in a statement.
A Jewish President of the National Assembly
When the French National Assembly elected Braun-Pivet to be its president in 2022, it elevated the first-ever woman and first practicing Jew to the job.
Braun-Pivet’s election came on the heels of Élisabeth Borne becoming the second woman prime minister of France; both are from French President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance Party, formerly known as La République En Marche.
Lahav Harkov contributed to this report.