“My heart is heavy. I’m very, very afraid for France. I think in the long run, this might be a lost cause, but I’m among those who are going to fight until the end,” says French journalist Nora Bussigny, who over the past year infiltrated a range of pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel organizations. After blending in with many of their activists, interviewing students and protesters and investigating the funding sources of several groups, she published her findings in a book titled The New Antisemites (in French: Les Nouveaux Antisémites).
The book has stirred controversy in France and, despite being boycotted by some bookstores, has become a national bestseller.
In an interview with The Times of Israel, Bussigny, 30 — who is not Jewish and was born to a Moroccan-born mother and a French father — described the extensive journalistic investigation that at times made her feel “almost schizophrenic.” She said antisemitism, hatred of Jews and anti-Zionism have deeply penetrated many far-left organizations in France.
“I saw with my own eyes to what degree Islamists, far-left so-called ‘progressive’ militants and feminist, LGBT and ecological activists are closely linked in their shared hatred of Jews and Israel,” she said.
She called it ironic, noting that historically the far left was deeply fragmented. “Many radical groups never got along despite dreaming of a convergence of their struggles. Before October 7, I was convinced they could only unify around a common hatred of the police and what it symbolizes for them. But I’ve now seen how their hate for Jews, or rather Zionists, to use their term, is more effective in bringing them together in common cause.”
In her book, Bussigny describes how she infiltrated extremist groups and gained the trust of protesters and activists. “During an entire year, I participated, with full discretion, in demonstrations, meetings, online discussions,” she writes. “I investigated university campuses. I applauded next to hysterical crowds glorifying terrorism. I took part in feminist protests and dialogued in municipal facilities with members of an organization outlawed in many countries for its close, proven links to terrorism,” she said, referring to Samidoun, which is designated a terror organization in the United States and Israel.
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'The New Antisemites' book cover
(Photo: ALBIN MICHEL Publishing House, from Nora Bussigny's Instagram page)
She said she chanted slogans accusing Israel of “genocide” and supporting “Palestinian resistance” — armed resistance — at demonstrations ostensibly defending women’s and LGBTQ rights, with no mention of gay people being imprisoned or killed under sharia law in Hamas-ruled Gaza.
Bussigny said she initially made mistakes. “I’d say ‘Israel,’ which militants never say except for insults. They usually say ‘the Zionist entity,’ or if writing, they call it ‘Israhell.’ They also never say the IDF, but rather ‘the genocidal army.’ There were terms I had to learn to have the ‘right’ vocabulary,” she said.
“Initially, some of the people looked at me with mistrust. I had to really concentrate on how I spoke and acted when I was among them,” she added. “They watch you to see if you’re chanting, if you’re happy to be there, if you’re filming. They’re suspicious. I made sure to look cheerful and excited to chant with everyone the glory of Hamas and Operation Al-Aqsa Flood [the terror group’s name for the October 7 atrocities]. I was so careful to play the part that it became almost schizophrenic for me.”
In The New Antisemites, Bussigny details how radical anti-Israel groups such as Urgence Palestine, Palestine Vaincra and Samidoun receive political backing in France and, at times, public funding and access to public facilities, where they hold meetings and workshops that further radicalize young participants.
Because her mother was born in Morocco, Bussigny describes herself as half Muslim. “Since the book came out [in late September], I’ve been the target of death threats, horrible insults and an enormous amount of hate, especially on social media,” she said. She now requests police protection when appearing at public events.
“Some of the hatred is because I’m French-Moroccan,” she said. “Part of this hostility is because I’m Franco-Moroccan, and some people treat me as a traitor to the Palestinian cause and an accomplice of Zionists. Those attacking me denounce me as complicit in ‘genocide,’ and some also make baseless accusations that I’m receiving money from Israel.”
She said some bookstores told customers they were unwilling to stock her book. Despite that, it has received widespread media praise, entered France’s bestseller lists and won the 2025 Edgar Faure Prize for political book of the year.
“For all the negativity, there’s been lots of positive feedback,” Bussigny said. “Given how well the book is selling, obviously, many non-Jews are reading it, which is important. I’ve received lots of support.”
For the book, Bussigny interviewed more than 100 people — Jews and non-Jews — ranging from extreme anti-Israel activists to students, academics and elected officials. She also visited the Free University of Brussels and Columbia University in New York, which has become a symbol of campus activism against the war in Gaza.
The New Antisemites is Bussigny’s fourth book. Shortly before the October 7 massacre, she published The New Inquisitors, for which she also worked undercover to investigate France’s left-wing “woke” movement.
“Before working on ‘Les Nouveaux Antisémites,’ I didn’t know many Jews,” she said. “I think if it wasn’t for my parents, I could’ve become antisemitic. I grew up in a Paris suburb where I didn’t meet any Jews and didn’t even realize what antisemitism was.”
One chapter of the book focuses on Rima Hassan, a European Parliament member born in Syria who identifies as Palestinian and has become one of the most prominent anti-Israel voices during the war. Hassan was expelled from Israel after taking part in a flotilla to Gaza alongside Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
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Rima Hassan is welcomed with flowers after being expelled from Israel
(Photo: Aris MESSINIS / AFP)
“She has the potential to become France’s Zohran Mamdani,” Bussigny said, referring to the New York City mayor. She said Hassan has radicalized much of her far-left party, La France Insoumise, and wields enormous influence on social media.
“I worry about what’s happening with Gen Z,” Bussigny added, referring to those born after 1995. “Many of whom will be voting for the first time next year in the municipal elections, and then in 2027 in the presidential elections. We could have several Mamdanis in France.”
Bussigny said she has received strong support from France’s Jewish community. “I’m quite touched by the response from French Jews,” she said. “I’ve received so much gratitude. Many say my book has helped them see what’s behind much of the current antisemitism. They’re worried and grateful to better understand everything that’s at stake for them.”
The book is dedicated to Régine Skorka-Jacubert, a French Holocaust survivor who was part of the French Resistance and survived Auschwitz. Bussigny said she decided on the dedication after visiting the Paris Holocaust Memorial, where an educational exhibit links visitors to the story of a deportee and asks them to help keep that person’s memory alive.
“I told myself I’d dedicate my book to Régine,” she said.