Why the felling of a memorial tree for a murdered Jewish man has caused outrage in France

Indian Express

2 days ago

French President Emmanuel Macron has said that all efforts will be made to track down those who cut down a memorial tree dedicated to Ilan Halimi, a young Jewish man murdered in 2006.
'Cutting down the tree that honoured Ilan Halimi is an attempt to kill him for a second time,' Macron wrote on X. 'It will not succeed: the Nation will not forget this child of France, killed because he was Jewish.'
He added that 'all means are being deployed to punish this act of hatred' and that France remains 'uncompromising in the face of antisemitism.'
Abattre l'arbre rendant hommage à Ilan Halimi, c'est chercher à le tuer une deuxième fois. Il n'en sera rien : la Nation n'oubliera pas cet enfant de France mort parce que Juif.
Tous les moyens sont déployés pour punir cet acte de haine.
Face à l'antisémitisme : la République,…
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 15, 2025
The olive tree, planted 14 years ago in Paris's northern suburb of Épinay-sur-Seine was seen chopped down on Thursday morning, seemingly with a chainsaw, according to local officials.
Ilan Halimi, 23, was kidnapped in February 2006 after being lured by a woman working with a Paris gang. He was held captive for more than three weeks, tortured and later found by a railway line, handcuffed, naked and severely burned.
He died on his way to a hospital.
The gang's leader, Youssouf Fofana, admitted that Halimi was chosen because he was Jewish, wrongly assuming his family would have money to pay a ransom.
The kidnappers demanded €450,000 (£405,000) from Halimi's relatives, sending them photos and video recordings of his suffering.
Fofana was later sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 22 years. Other members of the group received shorter sentences.
This is not the first time memorials to Halimi have been vandalised. According to the BBC, a tree planted in his memory was cut down in 2019. In 2017, a plaque was ripped from a wall and defaced with antisemitic writing.
French Prime Minister François Bayrou said the tree 'was felled by antisemitic hatred.' Writing on X, he added: 'No crime can uproot memory. The never-ending fight against the deadly poison of hatred is our foremost duty.'
L'arbre pour Ilan Halimi, vivant rempart contre l'oubli, a été fauché par la haine antisémite. Nul crime ne peut déraciner la mémoire. La lutte jamais achevée contre le mortel poison de la haine est notre devoir premier.
— François Bayrou (@bayrou) August 15, 2025
Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez also condemned the act, saying: 'Everything will be done to find the perpetrators and deliver them to justice.'