French journalist Nora Bussigny (30), whose mother was born in Morocco, operated for a year undercover as a pro-Palestinian activist and published her findings in the book "The New Antisemites" (in French: Les Nouveaux Antisémites), which became a bestseller in France.
"It was almost schizophrenic. I saw how they unite around hatred of Israel," she said in an interview. She received death threats, gained support from Jews, and a Holocaust survivor to whom she dedicated the book.
"My heart is heavy, and I fear for France, but I am one of those who will fight until the end." The French journalist Nora Bussigny (30) infiltrated a range of pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel organizations over the past year. After blending in with many of their activists, interviewing students and protesters, and investigating the funding sources of several groups, she published the book "The New Antisemites". The book stirred controversy in France, and despite being boycotted in some bookstores, it entered the national bestseller lists.
In an interview with the Times of Israel, the 30-year-old Bussigny, who is not Jewish, daughter of a Moroccan mother and a French father, described the extensive journalistic investigation that at times made her feel "almost schizophrenic." According to her, antisemitism, Jew-hatred, and anti-Zionism have deeply penetrated many far-left organizations in France: "I saw with my own eyes how Islamists, far-left activists who call themselves 'progressives,' feminists, LGBTQ+ activists, and environmental activists are all connected through their shared hatred of Jews and Israel."
She added: "It's ironic, because historically the radical left has been fragmented. Many radical groups never got along despite dreaming of 'convergence of struggles.' Before October 7, I was convinced they could only unite around shared hatred of the police and what it represents to them. But now I have seen how their hatred of Jews, or more precisely of 'Zionists,' is far more effective."
In her book, Bussigny describes how she infiltrated extremist organizations and gained the trust of protesters and activists: "For a full year I participated with complete discretion in demonstrations, meetings, and online discussions. I investigated university campuses. I applauded alongside hysterical crowds praising terror. I took part in feminist protests and spoke with members of an organization outlawed in many countries due to its proven close ties to terrorism (the organization 'Samidoun', designated as a terrorist organization in the US and Israel). I chanted against 'genocide' and for 'Palestinian resistance' (obviously armed) during protests supposedly defending women's and LGBTQ+ rights, with no mention whatsoever of homosexuals tortured or murdered under Sharia law in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip."
Bussigny told the Times of Israel that she "started too fast": "I made mistakes at demonstrations. For example, I said 'Israel', a word activists don't say unless as a curse. Usually they say 'the Zionist entity,' and in writing they call it 'Israhell' (a combination of Israel and hell). They don't say 'IDF,' but 'the genocide army.' There were terms I had to learn to maintain the 'correct' vocabulary.
At first they looked at me with distrust. I really had to focus on how I spoke and behaved around them," she continued. "They watch you to see if you're chanting, if you're happy to be at the demonstrations, if you're filming. They're suspicious. I made sure I looked happy and excited when chanting with everyone in support of Hamas and Operation 'Al-Aqsa Flood' (the name the terror organization gave to the October 7 massacre). I was so careful to play the game that it almost became schizophrenic for me."
In "The New Antisemites", Bussigny exposes how extremist anti-Israel organizations such as Urgence Palestine, Palestine Vaincra, and Samidoun receive political support in France, and sometimes even public funding and access to public facilities, where they hold meetings and workshops that radicalize the young people who participate.
As mentioned, Bussigny's mother was born in Morocco, making her half-Muslim by heritage. "Since the book came out at the end of September," she shared, "I have received death threats, horrible insults, and an enormous amount of hatred, mainly on social media." She now requests police protection when attending public events: "Part of this hatred comes because I am Franco-Moroccan, and some people treat me as a 'traitor to the Palestinian cause' and a 'collaborator with the Zionists.' Those who attack me accuse me of being complicit in 'genocide,' and some claim without evidence that I am being paid by Israel."
"Some bookstores told customers trying to order the book that they are not interested in ordering this type of book," she said about the cultural boycott against her in parts of France. Despite this, her book received widespread praise in the media, entered bestseller lists in France, and won the 2025 Prix Edgar Faure for the best political book of the year. "Despite the negative side, I received a lot of positive feedback," Bussigny said. "Given how well the book is selling, it's clear that many non-Jews are also reading it, and that's important. I received a lot of support."
The performance from which she learned what antisemitism is, and her criticism of the radical left. To write the book, Bussigny interviewed more than 100 people, Jews and non-Jews, from hardcore anti-Israel field activists to students, lecturers, and elected officials. She also visited the University of Brussels in Belgium and Columbia University in New York, which became a symbol of the struggle over the war in Gaza.
"The New Antisemites" is the journalist's fourth book. Shortly before the October 7 massacre she published "The New Inquisitors", for which she also went undercover to investigate the "woke" left-wing movement in France.
"Before working on 'The New Antisemites,' I didn't know many Jews," Bussigny told the Times of Israel. "I think without my parents I could have become an antisemite. I grew up in a Paris suburb where I never met Jews and didn't understand what antisemitism was at all. As a teenager, I wanted to go to a Dieudonné show (the French comedian considered antisemitic and accused of incitement), but my parents said, 'No, that's too much' and explained to me what antisemitism is."
A whole chapter in the book is dedicated to Rima Hassan, the European Parliament member born in Syria who considers herself Palestinian. Hassan has become one of the most prominent voices against Israel during the war, and was even expelled from Israel after participating in a flotilla to Gaza alongside Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. "Rima Hassan has the potential to become the Zohran Mamdani of France," Bussigny said, referring to the New York mayor considered strongly anti-Israel.
According to her, Hassan "has succeeded in radicalizing a significant part of her party (the far-left 'La France Insoumise'), because she is the most-followed political figure in France on social media. Together with Jordan Bardella (chairman of the far-right 'National Rally'), she has enormous influence. Hassan is obsessed with Jews and is the most dangerous politician linked to antisemitism and Islamism. In her party she gets a more central platform than leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who understands that her ultra-radical discourse appeals to the younger generation."
"I am worried about what is happening with Generation Z, those born after 1995, many of whom will vote for the first time next year in the municipal elections, and then in 2027 in the presidential elections," Bussigny added. "We might have several 'Mamdani's in France."
Either way, Bussigny said she received great support from the Jewish community in France. "I am very moved by the response from French Jews," she shared. "I received enormous gratitude. Many say my book helped them see what's behind much of today's antisemitism. They are worried and thankful that they now better understand what is at stake for them."
The opening of Bussigny's book is dedicated to Régine Skorka-Jacubert, a French Holocaust survivor who was a member of the French Resistance and even survived death in Auschwitz. "While writing the book I was invited to the Holocaust Museum in Paris," Bussigny recounted. "As part of their educational program, there is a terminal that scans your face and matches you to a person deported to a Nazi concentration camp. Then you are asked to commit to helping preserve that person's memory and keep their story alive. I told myself I would dedicate my book to Régine."
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