Controversy Surrounds Macron's Hanukkah Candle Lighting at Elysee Palace

French President Emmanuel Macron faced criticism for attending a Hanukkah candle lighting ceremony at the Elysee palace, with opponents arguing it violated the principle of secularism. France's laws on state secularism, passed in 1905, emphasize the separation of religion and state. Macron defended his gesture, stating that secularism does not mean erasing religions. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne supported Macron's decision, citing the need to show support for the Jewish community amid rising antisemitism in France. Macron's absence from a previous march against antisemitism had also raised questions.