FRENCH communists are refusing to march alongside the far right in the “great civic march,” set for this weekend.

French National Assembly speaker Yael Braun-Pivet and his counterpart in the Senate Gerard Larcher announced that a march would be held in Paris on Sunday in opposition to the upsurge in anti-semitism in France.

But French Communist Party secretary general Fabien Roussel told France 2 television that he would “not march alongside” Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN).

Mr Rousel accused the RN of being descended from people who were “repeatedly condemned for anti-semitic remarks” and who collaborated with Nazi Germany.

He told the broadcaster that it was “important that there is a march against anti-semitism,” but, “we will perhaps march in another place, but not with them.”

Left-wing France Unbowed (LFI) also said that it would boycott the march. 

The LFI said it that was “hypocrisy to claim to denounce anti-semitism alongside political leaders who constantly use religion as a pretext of shameful discrimination.”

A spokesperson for President Emmanuel Macron’s government said that Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne would take part but insisted the RN “did not have a place” on the march.

Despite the controversy, Ms Le Pen said: “I call on all our members and voters to come and join this march.”