Latest news with #IlanHalimi
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Emmanuel Macron decries ‘antisemitic hatred' after memorial tree cut down
The felling of an olive tree planted in memory of a young French Jewish man tortured to death in 2006 caused outrage in France on Friday, with Emmanuel Macron promising to punish an act of 'antisemitic hatred'. Politicians across the political spectrum condemned the felling as an attack against the memory of Ilan Halimi, who was kidnapped by a gang of about 20 young people in January 2006 and tortured on a low-income housing estate in the southern Paris suburb of Bagneux. Found three weeks later, the 23-year-old died on the way to hospital. An olive tree planted in his memory in the northern Paris suburb of Épinay-sur-Seine in 2011 was cut down on Wednesday night, probably with a chainsaw. The felling stoked fresh concerns about an increase in antisemitic acts and hate crimes in France as international tensions mount over Gaza. 'Every effort will be made to punish this act of hatred,' Macron wrote on X, adding that France's fight against antisemitism would be uncompromising. 'The nation will not forget this son of France who died because he was Jewish,' Macron wrote. The French prime minister, François Bayrou, called the tree 'a living bulwark against oblivion'. 'The never-ending fight against the deadly poison of hatred is our primary duty,' he said. Officials promised to plant a new memorial tree as soon as possible. Members of France's Jewish community, one of the largest in the world, say antisemitic acts have surged since Israel launched its war in Gaza in response to Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack. Halimi's murder struck horror into the country's Jewish community and stirred debate about antisemitism in France. Police at the time initially refused to consider the murder a hate crime, and tens of thousands of people protested to demand justice. The president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France, Yonathan Arfi, said on Friday that the felling of the tree was extremely painful. 'There is nothing more cowardly, and those who have murdered his memory are no better than those who took his life 20 years ago,' he said. 'This is not just another antisemitic act, it is a way for antisemites to shout that they are here more than ever.' Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion The mayor of Épinay-sur-Seine, Hervé Chevreau, filed a criminal complaint. The Paris police chief, Laurent Nuñez, condemned what he called a despicable act and said an investigation had been launched. Halimi was lured by a 17-year-old girl to a housing estate basement, where he was attacked and subdued with ether. Held prisoner for ransom, he was tortured for 24 days before he was found naked, bound and gagged on 13 February 2006. Youssouf Fofana, the head of the gang called the Barbarians, was sentenced to life in prison for Halimi's murder. The son of Ivorian immigrants, Fofana had recruited followers among young people from Paris's bleak immigrant suburbs. Two other trees planted in Halimi's memory were vandalised and sawed down in 2019 in the southern suburb of Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, where Halimi was found dying near a railway track. Reported antisemitic acts in France surged from 436 in 2022 to 1,676 in 2023, before dipping to 1,570 last year, according to the interior ministry.
Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Why the felling of a memorial tree for a murdered Jewish man has caused outrage in France
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.'
BBC News
7 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Macron vows justice after tree memorial for murdered Jew cut down
French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged that every effort will be made to track down and punish the person who cut down a tree commemorating a murdered memorial tree was planted 14 years ago to honour Ilan Halimi, who was tortured and murdered by a Paris gang in 2006, sparking widespread shock and outrage at the said the felling of the olive tree on Wednesday was "an attempt to kill him a second time", adding: "All means are being deployed to punish this act of hatred."Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez confirmed an investigation was under way, adding: "Everything will be done to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice." Halimi's body was found by a railway line handcuffed to a tree, naked and severely burned, having been held captive by the Barbarian gang for more than three was lured by a female gang member to an empty apartment in February 2006, where he was attacked and kidnappers tried unsuccessfully to extort a ransom of €450,000 ($600,000; £405,000) from his family, sending them harrowing images and video mastermind - Youssouf Fofana - targeted Halimi because of his Jewish heritage, believing his family to be unduly wealthy. Fofana was later sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 22 years, while other accomplices implicated in the crime received lesser sentences. The tree in the suburb of Épinay-sur-Seine was one of several memorials across the French capital for Halimi before it was cut local authority said it had been found cut down on Thursday morning, posting an image of it showing the tree chopped off at the base and thrown into a nearby flowerbed. Macron said France "will not forget this child of France who died because he was Jewish"."In the face of antisemitism, the Republic is always uncompromising," he Prime Minister François Bayrou also blamed "antisemitic hatred" for the tree being felled."No crime can uproot memory," he wrote. "The never-ending fight against the deadly poison of hatred is our primary duty."In 2019, another tree honouring Halimi was reportedly chopped down, in what officials at the time described as an antisemitic in 2017, France's then-interior minister condemned the desecration of a plaque commemorating Halimi in which it was ripped off a wall and covered with antisemitic writing.
Fox News
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Vandals chop down tree honoring Jewish man tortured and killed in antisemitic attack
French leaders are condemning vandals who chopped down a tree honoring a Jewish man who was kidnapped and tortured for over three weeks before dying on the way to a hospital. In 2006, a group that called itself the "Gang of Barbarians," led by Youssouf Fofana, kidnapped Ilan Halimi, a 23-year-old Jewish man. For more than three weeks, Halimi was held hostage and tortured. Believing an old antisemitic stereotype, Halimi's captors assumed his family was wealthy and demanded a ransom it could not afford. At least 27 people participated in Halimi's abduction and torture, but it is believed that more knew of the crime and did not report it to law enforcement. On Feb. 13, 2006, Halimi was found naked, handcuffed and barely clinging to life at a train station. He died while being transported to a hospital. The commemorative olive tree, planted in Halimi's honor 14 years ago, was cut down late Wednesday night. The Associated Press reported the felling appeared to be done with a chainsaw. French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the act, saying, "Cutting down the tree honoring Ilan Halimi is an attempt to kill him a second time. "It will not succeed: the nation will not forget this child of France who died because he was Jewish," he added. French Prime Minister François Bayrou said, "No crime can uproot his memory." In response, U.S. Ambassador to France Charles Kushner thanked Bayrou for his "strong and unequivocal" condemnation of the felling of the memorial tree. "I hope your clear condemnation, as the leader of the French government, stands as a model of principled leadership and zero tolerance toward the surge of antisemitism in France and worldwide. Your statement will resonate far beyond the immediate context, reassuring those targeted and inspiring all who cherish tolerance," Kushner wrote on X. Despite strongly condemning the incident, Macron was not praised by Israeli Minister of Diaspora and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli. The Israeli official pointed to Macron's recent promise to recognize a Palestinian state and suggested the French president effectively "wielded the axe." "Macron rushed to condemn it — but I told him his own hands wielded the axe. No French president has been more hostile to the Jewish community since the Vichy regime," Chikli wrote. "By pushing recognition of a Palestinian state — under the heavy shadow of the October 7 atrocities, while our people rot in captivity — Macron places himself at the political vanguard of Hamas and of the surging tide of global antisemitism." In the years since Halimi's murder, France has grappled with antisemitic incidents, including a 2015 attack on the Hyper Cacher store in Paris that left four dead. In March, just over 10 years after the attack, the store was targeted again. An arsonist set a fire that damaged the front of the store and some of its interior, according to The Times of Israel. Antisemitism in France has persisted since the war in Gaza began in 2023 after Hamas' brutal Oct. 7 massacre. Jews in France have not only seen mass protests against Israel. They have been victims of antisemitic violence. In June 2024, a 12-year-old girl was raped by three teen boys who, according to police reports, uttered death threats and antisemitic remarks during the attack. The incident sparked outrage in France and was condemned by Macron. According to The Times of Israel, the boys were charged with sexual assault on a minor and recording and sharing sexual images, aggravated by religious motivation. The outlet reported that two of the attackers, who were 13 at the time of the rape, were sentenced to nine and seven years in prison. One assailant could not be sentenced to jail due to his age and would reportedly be placed in closed foster care for five years. Recently, the Israeli airline El Al has been a target for antisemitism in France. Earlier this month, the company's Paris offices were vandalized with red paint and anti-Israel graffiti. The vandals wrote that El Al was a "genocide airline." Just days later, a French air traffic controller broadcast "Free Palestine" to El Al pilots. The worker has since been suspended. El Al called the remarks "unprofessional and inappropriate." Fofana, who led the attack on Halimi, was sentenced to life in prison in 2009 and is not eligible for parole for 22 years. Two of his accomplices were sentended to 15 and 18 years in prison. A man who was a minor at the time of the attack was also sentenced to 15 years in prison. A girl who used to lure Halimi was sentenced to nine years in prison.
Vancouver Sun
a day ago
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
French president vows justice after unknown attackers chop down tree honouring murdered Jew
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron pledged Friday that no effort will be spared to track down and prosecute unknown attackers who chopped down an olive tree planted in homage to a French Jew murdered in 2006. The commemorative tree for Ilan Halimi, planted 14 years ago in the northern Paris suburb of Epinay-sur-Seine, was felled on Wednesday night, seemingly with a chainsaw. The town posted a photo on its Facebook page showing the tree's leafy, bushy top completely severed from its base, leaving just the stump poking from the ground. 'Cutting down the tree that honoured Ilan Halimi is an attempt to kill him for a second time,' Macron posted on X. 'It will not succeed: the Nation will not forget this child of France, killed because he was Jewish.' Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'All means are being deployed to punish this act of hatred. In the face of antisemitism, the Republic is always uncompromising.' he added. Halimi was found naked, handcuffed and covered with burn marks near railroad tracks in the Essonne region south of Paris on Feb. 13, 2006. He died on the way to the hospital after being held captive and tortured for more than three weeks. He was 23. The brutal killing revived worries in France about antisemitism and led to deep anxiety in France's Jewish community, the largest in western Europe. French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, in a post on X, said the olive tree 'was felled by antisemitic hatred.' 'No crime can uproot memory. The never-ending fight against the deadly poison of hatred is our foremost duty,' he wrote. In a separate post, the Paris police chief condemned 'this ignoble act' and said an investigation has been launched. 'Everything will be done to find the perpetrators and deliver them to justice,' he pledged. Attackers have previously desecrated other efforts to keep Halimi's memory alive. In 2017, a commemorative plaque near Paris was ripped off, thrown on the ground and covered with antisemitic writing. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
