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Morocco World
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Anti-Muslim Acts in France Increase by 75%, Attacks on Individuals Triple
Cologne – The French Interior Ministry has reported a dramatic surge in anti-Muslim incidents in the first five months of 2025, with a 75% increase compared to the same period last year. Violence targeting individuals has more than tripled, which raises fresh concerns about rising hostility toward religious minorities in the country. From January through May, authorities recorded 145 anti-Muslim acts, up from 83 in 2024. The majority were direct assaults on people — 99 cases in total, compared to just 32 last year. These now represent more than two-thirds of all Islamophobic acts. The data confirms a sharp escalation in attacks that are no longer limited to property or insults, but often turn violent. One case in particular shook the nation. In late April, Aboubakar Cissé, a young Malian man, was killed inside a mosque in southern France. His death sparked a wave of shock and sorrow, highlighting the vulnerability of Muslim communities amid growing tensions. While Islamophobic acts have surged, antisemitic incidents, though fewer than in 2024, remain at a high level. Between January and May, 504 such acts were recorded, down from 662 the previous year. However, this still marks a 134% rise compared to the same period in 2023. The Interior Ministry pointed out the 'very high level' of antisemitic incidents. Most, 64%, targeted individuals, with 323 personal attacks logged. Among the victims was Rabbi Elie Lemmel, assaulted twice this spring. He attended the annual dinner of the CRIF (Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France), where his presence drew long applause. Christians, too, have faced growing hostility. Authorities counted 322 anti-Christian acts so far in 2025, compared to 284 last year, a 13% increase. Most involved damage to churches and religious sites, with 271 cases representing 84% of the total. But violence against individuals has also nearly doubled, with 51 cases reported in just five months. France, where nearly 9% of the population is Muslim, also hosts Europe's largest Jewish community, with around half a million people, less than 1% of the population. Despite the relatively small size of these communities, the number of reported incidents paints a stark picture. The figures released this week point to a climate of hostility that is far from marginal. Religious leaders, community advocates, and many citizens are demanding stronger measures to protect those targeted and to reaffirm the Republic's promise of equality and safety for all.
France 24
06-06-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Palestinian detained in France after rabbi hit with chair
According to the source, the suspect attacked Rabbi Elie Lemmel in the western Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine. Lemmel, who wore a traditional kippah cap and a long beard, was taken to hospital with a head injury. The assailant was arrested. The attacker is a Palestinian man residing illegally in Germany, said a source close to the case, adding that the man benefits from a status that offers a form of protection for people who cannot be deported to a conflict zone. An investigation has been launched into aggravated assault, prosecutors said. The rabbi said he had been attacked twice in the space of a week. Last Friday he was attacked in the northwestern town of Deauville when three drunk individuals hit him in the stomach. On Friday, the rabbi was talking to a person he had arranged to meet when he was attacked, receiving "a huge blow to the head". "I fell to the ground and heard people shouting 'stop him', and I realised that I had just been attacked," he told broadcaster BFMTV. "I am very afraid that we are living in a world where words are generating more and more evil," he said. The French Jewish community, one of the largest in the world, has faced a number of attacks and desecrations of memorials since the Gaza war erupted on October 7, 2023. In January, the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF) deplored what it called a "historic" level of antisemitic acts. - 'Clashes fuelled by hatred' - While welcoming the fact that attack was not fatal, Prime Minister Francois Bayrou deplored "the radicalisation of public debate." "Day after day, our country is plagued by clashes fuelled by hatred," he told reporters, also pointing to assaults against "our Muslim compatriots". The CRIF condemned "in the strongest possible terms the anti-Semitic attack on the rabbi". "In a general context where hatred of Israel fuels the stigmatisation of Jews on a daily basis, this attack is yet another illustration of the toxic climate targeting French Jews," the CRIF said on X. Yonathan Arfi, the CRIF president, said: "Nothing, not even solidarity with the Palestinians, can ever justify attacking a rabbi." France's Holocaust memorial, three Paris synagogues and a restaurant were vandalised with paint last week. A judge has charged three Serbs with vandalising the Jewish sites "to serve the interests of a foreign power", a judicial source said on Friday. In 2024, a total of 1,570 antisemitic acts were recorded in France, according to the interior ministry. Officials say the number of such crimes has increased in the wake of the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 by Palestinian militant group Hamas, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people. The attack was followed by relentless Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, which the Hamas-run health ministry has said resulted in the deaths of at least 54,677 people, and an aid blockade.
The Sun
01-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Paris Holocaust memorial, synagogues vandalised
PARIS: France's Holocaust memorial and three Paris synagogues and a restaurant were vandalised with paint overnight Saturday, in what the Israeli embassy denounced as a 'coordinated anti-Semitic attack'. An investigation has been opened into 'damage committed on grounds of religion', the Paris public prosecutor's office said. No arrests have been made. French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said he was 'deeply disgusted by these heinous acts targeting the Jewish community,' in a post on X. Retailleau had called last week for 'visible and dissuasive' security measures at Jewish-linked sites amid concerns over possible anti-Semitic acts during the conflict between Israel and the Hamas-run Gaza territory. The Israeli embassy in France said it was 'horrified by the coordinated anti-Semitic attack', adding that recent tensions with some French officials were contributing to a 'problematic discord'. 'We stand with the Jewish community and have full confidence in the French authorities, who will identify and bring the perpetrators to justice,' the embassy said in a statement. 'At the same time, we cannot ignore the problematic discord seen over the past two weeks among certain leaders and officials,' it added. 'Words matter, and the current discord against the Jewish state is not without consequences, not only for Israel but also for Jewish communities around the world,' it said. Israeli's President Isaac Herzog said Saturday he was 'dismayed' by the Paris vandalism, noting that his great-grandfather had been a rabbi at one of the synagogues. 'I call on the French authorities to act rapidly and forcefully to bring these people to justice,' Herzog said in a statement. - 'Particularly vulnerable' - The row comes amid growing concern in France over anti-Semitic incidents. In a separate message seen by AFP, the interior minister on Friday ordered heightened surveillance ahead of the coming Jewish Shavuot holiday. 'Anti-Semitic acts account for more than 60 percent of anti-religious acts, and the Jewish community is particularly vulnerable,' Retailleau said in the message seen by AFP. The French Jewish community, one of the largest in the world, has for months been on edge in the face of a growing number of attacks and desecrations of memorials since the Gaza war erupted on October 7, 2023. 'There is deep sadness and outrage... at the sight of these images showing vandalised Jewish sites,' said Yonathan Arfi, head of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF). Paris authorities plan to lodge a complaint over the paint incident, said the city's mayor, Anne Hidalgo. 'I condemn these acts of intimidation in the strongest possible terms. Anti-Semitism has no place in our city or in our Republic,' she said. Last year, France registered 1,570 anti-Semitic acts, according to interior ministry figures, over three times more than the 436 recorded in 2022. Since 2012 they have fluctuated between 311 and 851 per year. Several EU nations have reported a spike in 'anti-Muslim hatred' and 'anti-Semitism' since the start of the Gaza war, according to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. In May 2024, graffiti of red hands was painted beneath the wall at the memorial in central Paris honouring people who saved Jews from persecution during the 1940-44 Nazi occupation of France.
Hindustan Times
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Paris Holocaust memorial, 3 synagogues vandalised
France's Holocaust memorial and three Paris synagogues and a restaurant were vandalised with paint overnight Saturday, in what the Israeli embassy denounced as a "coordinated anti-Semitic attack". An investigation has been opened into "damage committed on grounds of religion", the Paris public prosecutor's office said. No arrests have been made. French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said he was "deeply disgusted by these heinous acts targeting the Jewish community," in a post on X. Retailleau had called last week for "visible and dissuasive" security measures at Jewish-linked sites amid concerns over possible anti-Semitic acts during the conflict between Israel and the Hamas-run Gaza territory. The Israeli embassy in France said it was "horrified by the coordinated anti-Semitic attack", adding that recent tensions with some French officials were contributing to a "problematic discord". "We stand with the Jewish community and have full confidence in the French authorities, who will identify and bring the perpetrators to justice," the embassy said in a statement. "At the same time, we cannot ignore the problematic discord seen over the past two weeks among certain leaders and officials," it added. "Words matter, and the current discord against the Jewish state is not without consequences, not only for Israel but also for Jewish communities around the world," it said. Israeli's President Isaac Herzog said Saturday he was "dismayed" by the Paris vandalism, noting that his great-grandfather had been a rabbi at one of the synagogues. "I call on the French authorities to act rapidly and forcefully to bring these people to justice," Herzog said in a statement. The row comes amid growing concern in France over anti-Semitic incidents. In a separate message seen by AFP, the interior minister on Friday ordered heightened surveillance ahead of the coming Jewish Shavuot holiday. "Anti-Semitic acts account for more than 60 percent of anti-religious acts, and the Jewish community is particularly vulnerable," Retailleau said in the message seen by AFP. The French Jewish community, one of the largest in the world, has for months been on edge in the face of a growing number of attacks and desecrations of memorials since the Gaza war erupted on October 7, 2023. "There is deep sadness and outrage... at the sight of these images showing vandalised Jewish sites," said Yonathan Arfi, head of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF). Paris authorities plan to lodge a complaint over the paint incident, said the city's mayor, Anne Hidalgo. "I condemn these acts of intimidation in the strongest possible terms. Anti-Semitism has no place in our city or in our Republic," she said. Last year, France registered 1,570 anti-Semitic acts, according to interior ministry figures, over three times more than the 436 recorded in 2022. Since 2012 they have fluctuated between 311 and 851 per year. Several EU nations have reported a spike in "anti-Muslim hatred" and "anti-Semitism" since the start of the Gaza war, according to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. In May 2024, graffiti of red hands was painted beneath the wall at the memorial in central Paris honouring people who saved Jews from persecution during the 1940-44 Nazi occupation of France.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Paris Holocaust memorial, synagogues vandalised
France's Holocaust memorial and three Paris synagogues and a restaurant were vandalised with paint overnight Saturday, in what the Israeli embassy denounced as an "coordinated antisemitic attack". An investigation has been opened into "damage committed on religious grounds", the Paris public prosecutor's office said. No arrests have been made. "I am deeply disgusted by these heinous acts targeting the Jewish community," French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau posted on X. Retailleau had called last week called for "visible and dissuasive" security measures at Jewish-linked sites amid concerns over possible anti-Semitic acts. The Israeli embassy in France said it was "horrified by the coordinated anti-Semitic attack", adding that recent tensions with some French officials were contributing to a "problematic discord". "We stand with the Jewish community and have full confidence in the French authorities, who will identify and bring the perpetrators to justice," the embassy said in a statement. "At the same time, we cannot ignore the problematic discord seen over the past two weeks among certain leaders and officials," it added. "Words matter, and the current discord against the Jewish state is not without consequences, not only for Israel but also for Jewish communities around the world," it said. - 'Particluarly vulnerable' - The row comes amid growing concern in France over anti-Semitic incidents. In a separate message seen by AFP, the interior minister on Friday ordered heightened surveillance ahead of the coming Jewish Shavuot holiday. "Anti-Semitic acts account for more than 60 percent of anti-religious acts, and the Jewish community is particularly vulnerable," Retailleau said in the message seen by AFP. The French Jewish community, one of the largest in the world, has for months been on edge in the face of a growing number of attacks and desecrations of memorials since the Gaza war erupted on October 7, 2023. "There is deep sadness and outrage... at the sight of these images showing vandalised Jewish sites," said Yonathan Arfi, head of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF). Paris authorities plan to lodge a complaint over the paint incident, said the city's mayor, Anne Hidalgo. "I condemn these acts of intimidation in the strongest possible terms. Anti-Semitism has no place in our city or in our Republic," she said. Last year, France registered 1,570 anti-Semitic acts, according to interior ministry figures. By comparison, 436 anti-Semitic acts were recorded in 2022, and since 2012 they have fluctuated between 311 and 851 per year. Several EU nations have reported a spike in "anti-Muslim hatred" and "anti-Semitism" since the start of the Gaza war, according to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. In May 2024, graffiti of red hands was painted beneath the wall at the memorial in central Paris honouring people who saved Jews from persecution during the 1940-44 Nazi occupation of France. sm-juc/ekf/js/
