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NDTV
4 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Macron Decries Antisemitic 'Hatred' After Memorial Tree Cut Down
The cutting down of an olive tree planted in memory of a young French Jewish man tortured to death in 2006 stirred outrage in France on Friday, with President Emmanuel Macron vowing punishment over an act of antisemitic "hatred". Politicians across the political spectrum condemned the act as an attack against the memory of Ilan Halimi, who was kidnapped by a gang of around 20 youths in January 2006 and tortured in a low-income housing estate in the Paris suburb of Bagneux. Found three weeks later, the 23-year-old died on the way to hospital. An olive tree, planted in 2011 in Halimi's memory, was felled, probably with a chainsaw, earlier this week in the northern Paris suburb of Epinay-sur-Seine. The incident stoked fresh concerns about an increase in antisemitic acts and hate crimes in France as international tensions mount over Gaza. Fresh flowers have been left at the memorial stone next to the tree stump, according to an AFP journalist. "Every effort will be made to punish this act of hatred," Macron said on X, adding France's fight against antisemitism will be "uncompromising". "The nation will not forget this son of France who died because he was Jewish." Prime Minister Francois Bayrou called the tree "a living bulwark against oblivion". "The never-ending fight against the deadly poison of hatred is our primary duty," he added. Officials pledged to plant a new tree "as soon as possible". "It is not just a tree that has been cut down, it is a hope that has been sabotaged," France's chief rabbi Haim Korsia said before praying in front of the memorial with other members of the Jewish community. 'Murdered His Memory' France's Jewish community -- one of the largest in the world -- says the number of antisemitic acts has surged following the attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023 which was followed by Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip and aid blockade. In 2006, Halimi's murder struck horror into France's Jewish people and stirred debate about antisemitism in France. Police at the time initially refused to consider the murder a hate crime, and tens of thousands took to the street to demand justice. Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF), said 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," Arfi told AFP. "This is not just another antisemitic act, it is a way for antisemites to shout that they are here more than ever." Herve Chevreau, the mayor of Epinay-sur-Seine, filed a criminal complaint. Paris police chief Laurent Nunez 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 in the suburbs, where he was attacked and subdued with ether. Held prisoner for ransom, Halimi was tortured for 24 days before he was found naked, bound and gagged on February 13, 2006. Youssouf Fofana, the head of the gang dubbed the "Barbarians", was sentenced to life in prison. The son of Ivorian immigrants, Fofana had recruited followers among youths from Paris's bleak immigrant suburbs. Two other trees planted in tribute to Halimi were vandalised and sawn down in 2019 in the southern suburb of Sainte-Genevieve-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.
Int'l Business Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Macron Vows To Punish Antisemitic 'Hatred' After Memorial Tree Cut Down
The cutting down of an olive tree planted in memory of a young French Jewish man tortured to death in 2006 stirred outrage in France on Friday, with President Emmanuel Macron vowing punishment over an act of antisemitic "hatred". Politicians across the political spectrum condemned the act as an attack against the memory of Ilan Halimi, who was kidnapped by a gang of around 20 youths in January 2006 and tortured in a low-income housing estate in the Paris suburb of Bagneux. Found three weeks later, the 23-year-old died on the way to hospital. An olive tree, planted in 2011 in Halimi's memory, was cut down, probably with a chainsaw, on Wednesday night in the northern Paris suburb of Epinay-sur-Seine. The incident 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 said on X, adding that France's fight against antisemitism will be "uncompromising". "The nation will not forget this son of France who died because he was Jewish," Macron said. Prime Minister Francois Bayrou called the tree "a living bulwark against oblivion". "The never-ending fight against the deadly poison of hatred is our primary duty," he added. Officials pledged to plant a new memorial tree "as soon as possible". Members of France's Jewish community -- one of the largest in the world -- have said the number of antisemitic acts has surged following the attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023 which was followed by Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip and aid blockade. In 2006, Halimi's murder struck horror into France'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 took to the street to demand justice. Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF), said on Friday 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," Arfi told AFP. "This is not just another antisemitic act, it is a way for antisemites to shout that they are here more than ever." Herve Chevreau, the mayor of Epinay-sur-Seine, filed a criminal complaint. Paris police chief Laurent Nunez 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 in the suburbs, where he was attacked and subdued with ether. Held prisoner for ransom, Halimi was tortured for 24 days before he was found naked, bound and gagged on February 13, 2006. Youssouf Fofana, the head of the gang dubbed the "Barbarians", was sentenced to life in prison. The son of Ivorian immigrants, Fofana had recruited followers among youths from Paris's bleak immigrant suburbs. Two other trees planted in tribute to Halimi were vandalised and sawn down in 2019 in the southern suburb of Sainte-Genevieve-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. An olive tree, planted in 2011 in Ilan Halimi's memory, was cut down, probably with a chainsaw, in the northern Paris suburb of Epinay-sur-Seine AFP
Al Arabiya
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Rising antisemitism driving immigration to Israel despite war
Horrified by a growing wave of anti-Semitism in France that she described as 'unbearable', Sonia finally followed through on long-held plans to move to Israel during the war triggered by Hamas's October 7 attack. She now lives in an apartment in Netanya, a coastal city north of Tel Aviv where she relocated with her husband and children last year. In Paris, she often had to remind her children to hide their kippah or be discreet when asking if food was kosher, said the 27-year-old. Still shaken by her experiences, she asked AFP not to use her real name. 'We constantly had to restrain our children because I was afraid we would be attacked. Maybe we were being paranoid,' said Sonia, a pseudonym. She would arrive an hour early to stand guard outside her children's school before picking them up, fearing for their safety. Today, despite the war with Hamas, Sonia said she feels 'a hundred times safer.' Her father-in-law, Gabriel, who also made the move months after the deadliest attack in Israeli history, shares that sentiment. Out of caution, he too prefers to use a different name. He spoke of the emotional toll of 'leaving a country behind' and starting over in Israel, a 'land of exile' where he does not yet speak the language. According to the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF), an umbrella body of French Jewish groups, France saw 1,570 anti-Semitic acts in 2024. The figure marked a six-percent fall from the 1,676 recorded in 2023, the year Hamas conducted its attack on southern Israel but was well above the numbers in the past decade or so. France is home to Europe's largest Jewish community and the third largest in the world after Israel and the United States. Protests in Europe condemning Israel's military retaliation in Gaza also sparked criticism, with detractors accusing demonstrators of appeasing Hamas and of condoning anti-Semitism. 'Didn't think about moving' Under Israel's Law of Return, any Jewish person is eligible to move to Israel and obtain Israeli citizenship. Sonia and Gabriel are among the 2,170 French nationals who in 2024 made aliyah, or immigration to Israel -- a staggering 96.9 percent increase from the previous year. Their sentiment is not shared across the board, with overall immigration falling from 47,200 in 2023 to 32,297 the following year, according to the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration. But for many, it rings true. 'Before October 7th, I really didn't think about moving to Israel,' said Aryeh Wiesel from New Jersey in the United States. But things changed after the Hamas attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures. 'I was pretty much devastated that such a brutal attack had happened... I never imagined the people, you know, being pro-Hamas and rationalizing what happened,' he said. 'It just made me feel like I want to live in a society where I don't really have to worry about anti-Semitism.' The aliyah agency Nefesh B'Nefesh reported a 60 percent increase in aliyah applications from North America between October 7, 2023, and October 6, 2024. The applicants come from a variety of backgrounds -- some are engineers, healthcare professionals, educators and lawyers -- while around 65 percent of the families are Orthodox. 'Bittersweet' By summer, the 26-year-old agriculture graduate plans to move to Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv -- without his pets or a job, but with his orchids and 'a few connections.' 'It's a bittersweet situation,' he admitted, but also a way 'to reinforce my roots.' His grandparents had fled Hungary and Romania after the Holocaust, first settling in Israel before eventually moving to the United States. Marisa Douenias, 34, an American raised in the Reform Jewish tradition, had also never imagined living in another country. Then, in July 2024, she arrived in Israel with her luggage, her dog and a deep conviction that she was contributing 'in some way to the rebuilding' of Israel. 'I did have some idea of what that is like,' she said, but the reality on the ground still required some adjustment. 'I will admit I was unprepared for, you know, what it's like when, for instance, almost every single night in a week you're getting woken up at between 2:30 and 4:30 in the morning by sirens.' She remains firm in her belief that coexistence is the 'only chance' for peace in the region, and the war is still a concern. 'I have three boys. I know they will serve in the army. As a mother, that terrifies me,' said Sonia. 'But I made the choice to come here, so I'm signing the contract -- taking the good with the bad.'
