Latest news with #RepresentativeCouncilofJewishInstitutionsofFrance
France 24
2 days ago
- 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/
New Straits Times
28-04-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Macron warns against religious hate after Muslim killed in mosque
LA GRAND-COMBE: France's President Emmanuel Macron lashed out Sunday against "racism and hatred" after the brutal stabbing to death of a Muslim in a mosque in the south of the country. Officials said the attacker, who is on the run, stabbed Aboubakar Cisse, a young Malian in his early 20s, dozens of times and then filmed him with a mobile phone while shouting insults at Islam. The attack in the village of La Grand-Combe in the Gard region was the latest in a series of deadly stabbings in France in recent years. It shocked the country's leaders, with Macron finally speaking out on X on Sunday. "Racism and hatred based on religion can have no place in France. Freedom of worship cannot be violated," he wrote, offering support to "our fellow Muslim citizens." French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou earlier branded it an "Islamophobic atrocity" – although the prosecutor in the case emphasised that Islamophobia is just one of the motives being considered. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said in televised comments on Sunday that he had ordered police to tighten security at mosques around the country. Around 1,000 people on Sunday marched through La Grand-Combe, which has just 5,000 inhabitants, to remember the victim. Hundreds also rallied in Paris, where far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon accused the government of nurturing a "climate of Islamophobia" at a time when immigration is top of the political agenda. Retailleau accused Melenchon's party of exploiting the attack for political ends. Investigators said the alleged killer sent the video he had filmed with his phone – showing the victim writhing in agony – to another person, who then shared it on a social media platform before deleting it. A source close to the case, who asked not to be named, said the suspected perpetrator, while not apprehended, had been identified as a French citizen of Bosnian origin who is not a Muslim. After initially praying alongside the man when they were alone in the mosque, the attacker stabbed the victim up to 50 times before fleeing the scene. The body of the victim was discovered later in the morning when other worshippers arrived at the mosque for Friday prayers. The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) said it was "horrified" by the "anti-Muslim terrorist attack" and urged Muslims in France to be "extremely vigilant." "The murder of a worshipper in a mosque is a despicable crime that must revolt the hearts of all French people," added the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF). The attacker has been named only as Olivier A., born in France in 2004 and unemployed without a criminal record. He is "potentially extremely dangerous" and it is "essential" to arrest him before he claims more victims, said regional prosecutor Abdelkrim Grini. But while the motive of Islamophobia is the lead that the 70 investigators are "working on as a priority... it is not the only one", Grini said. There are "certain elements (which) could suggest that this motive was perhaps not the primary motive... or the only motive," he added, without elaborating. Grini was speaking in the regional centre of Ales, near La Grand-Combe, alongside Retailleau, a hardline right-winger who takes a tough line on immigration and Islam.
