Latest news with #anti-Semitic
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- 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/
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Holocaust memorial and synagogues vandalised with paint in Paris
French police have launched an investigation after a Holocaust memorial and two synagogues were defaced with green paint in the latest anti-Semitic attack in Paris. The symbolic sites, as well as Chez Marianne, a popular Israeli restaurant in Paris's Jewish quarter, were vandalised in the early hours of Saturday morning, police said. The Holocaust memorial, the Wall of the Righteous, was doused with green paint, covering the names of 3,900 men and women who helped rescue Jews in France during the Second World War. Police are looking for a man dressed in black who was caught on CCTV cameras throwing green paint at establishments in Paris's Jewish quarter, called the Marais, at around 4.30 am on Saturday. An opened can of green paint was found at one of the sites. 'I condemn this intimidation in the strongest possible terms,' Anne Hidalgo, the Paris mayor, wrote on social media. 'Anti-Semitism has no place in our city and in our Republic. I have asked the sanitation department to intervene urgently. We will be filing a complaint.' Bruno Retailleau, France's interior minister, also denounced the incidents. 'Immense disgust at these odious acts targeting the Jewish community,' he wrote on X. No arrests have been made. Last week, Mr Retailleau called for 'visible and dissuasive' security measures at Jewish-linked sites amid concerns over possible anti-Semitic acts, and ordered heightened surveillance ahead of Shavuot, an upcoming Jewish holiday. Around this time last year, the Wall of the Righteous was vandalised with 35 handprints spray-painted in red. The investigation led police back to Bulgarian nationals who were suspected of acting on behalf of Russian intelligence. The operation was described as a 'copy-paste' from another high-profile incident that dominated the French news cycle in the autumn of 2023, when 250 blue Stars of David were found tagged on Parisian buildings. French authorities announced that the Stars of David graffiti campaign was part of a larger attempt at Russian interference, aimed at stirring up division and anxiety in France. Individuals from Moldova were arrested in connection with the vandalism. Commissioned by Russian security forces, a campaign of disinformation was also carried out simultaneously in other countries including Spain, Latvia and Poland, according to French newspaper Le Monde. At the time, France accused Russia of amplifying the graffiti on social media, calling the campaign a 'new Russian digital interference operation against France' aimed at exploiting international crises to sow confusion and create tensions. The minister of foreign affairs said 1,095 bots had been found on the X platform publishing nearly 2,600 posts about the tags. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Paris Holocaust memorial, synagogues hit with paint
France's Holocaust memorial, two synagogues and a restaurant in central Paris were vandalised with green paint overnight, according to police sources on Saturday (May 31, 2025), prompting condemnation from government and city officials. "I am deeply disgusted by these heinous acts targeting the Jewish community," said French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on X. No arrests have been made. Retailleau last week called for "visible and dissuasive" security measures at Jewish-linked sites amid concerns over possible anti-Semitic acts. In a separate message seen by AFP, the interior minister on Friday had again ordered heightened surveillance ahead of the upcoming Jewish Shavuot holiday. 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. "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. Paris authorities would be lodging 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. In May 2024, red hand graffiti was painted beneath the wall at the memorial in central Paris honouring individuals who saved Jews from persecution during the 1940-44 Nazi occupation of France. sm-juc/ekf/rmb
Local France
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Local France
Paris Holocaust memorial, synagogues hit with paint
"I am deeply disgusted by these heinous acts targeting the Jewish community," said French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on X. No arrests have been made. Retailleau last week called for "visible and dissuasive" security measures at Jewish-linked sites amid concerns over possible anti-Semitic acts. In a separate message seen by AFP, the interior minister on Friday had again ordered heightened surveillance ahead of the upcoming Jewish Shavuot holiday. 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. "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. Advertisement Paris authorities would be lodging 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. In May 2024, red hand graffiti was painted beneath the wall at the memorial in central Paris honouring individuals who saved Jews from persecution during the 1940-44 Nazi occupation of France.
France 24
8 hours ago
- Politics
- France 24
Vandals target Paris Holocaust memorial, synagogues with paint
France's Holocaust memorial, two synagogues and a restaurant in central Paris were vandalised with green paint overnight, according to police sources on Saturday, prompting condemnation from government and city officials. 'I am deeply disgusted by these heinous acts targeting the Jewish community,' said French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on X. No arrests have been made. Retailleau last week called for 'visible and dissuasive' security measures at Jewish-linked sites amid concerns over possible anti-Semitic acts. In a separate message seen by AFP, the interior minister on Friday had again ordered heightened surveillance ahead of the upcoming Jewish Shavuot holiday. 'Anti-Semitism has no place in our city' 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. '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. Paris authorities would be lodging 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. In May 2024, red hand graffiti was painted beneath the wall at the memorial in central Paris honouring individuals who saved Jews from persecution during the 1940-44 Nazi occupation of France.
