PARIS, April 8: Jewish extremists stabbed a policeman and assaulted several journalists as around 53,000 marchers took to the streets here on Sunday to protest a series of anti-Jewish acts.

Given the marked dissension demonstrated in recent weeks within the French Jewish community between supporters of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and those who oppose the Israeli incursions into the Palestinian territories, two separate marches were held on Sunday.

An early afternoon march was sponsored by the “Peace Now” movement which calls on Israel to immediately withdraw its forces from the territories, while a second march, organized by CRIF (the Conseil representatif des institutions juives de France), made its way from Place de la Republique to the Bastille, under banners generally in support of Prime Minister Sharon.

Some of the banners in the CRIF march also attacked the French press for what was characterised as its biased reporting.