The rain had just stopped and the gray skies were letting through a few golden rays when, shortly after 2 pm on Sunday, November 12, the crowds began to pour onto the Esplanade des Invalides in Paris. They came in small groups, with family or friends, some with a dog on a leash, one lady even carrying her cat on her shoulder, like for a stroll outside on an autumn Sunday. They were in their thirties, forties, fifties, sometimes more. There were few young people, however, at this gathering against anti-Semitism.

The most striking thing was the silence, the calm. As they gathered between Napoleon's tomb and the Alexandre III bridge, the people arriving on foot or pouring out of crowded metro stations seemed to whisper.

Some of the demonstrators were holding French flags, but there were no Israeli flags, no slogans, just occasional applause, as if to congratulate themselves for being present. One lady wore her badge from a 1980s anti-discrimination campaign, others flew Corsican and Belgian flags, and a group of Kabyle activists danced with their emblem. "We are in solidarity with the Jews," said a small brunette with glasses.

There was no mention of the war between Israel and Hamas throughout the procession: Only the fight against anti-Semitism united these citizens, whose political or religious affiliations could not be guessed at, apart from the yarmulkes worn by a few. As if the participants were making a point of showing that dignity was more important than ever, the rare disruptive remarks were immediately condemned.

When a handful of demonstrators chanted "Mélenchon anti-Semite, Mélenchon anti-Semite," they were immediately and firmly called to order by anonymous voices: "Shh, shh, no controversy." The scene was identical when another group tried to shout anti-fascist slogans.

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The crowd swole, and reached a size of 105,000 in Paris, according to the police. Across the country, a total of 182,000 people marched, in over 70 cities (7,500 in Marseille, 5,000 in Strasbourg, 3,700 in Grenoble, 3,500 in Bordeaux, 3,000 in Nice and Lyon, 2,000 in Nantes and La Rochelle), according to the Interior Ministry.

In Paris, Laure, an elegant blonde actress, arrived alone at Les Invalides: "I'd have preferred to be accompanied, but it's not easy when you're on the left these days to ask your friends if they're coming to march against anti-Semitism," she sighed. She didn't waver because of the presence of the far-right Rassemblement National (RN): "I won't look at them." Yet they were not far away.

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