France: Anti-Semitic acts have risen above 1,500 since attack by Hamas
In France, 1,518 anti-Semitic incidents have been recorded since the October 7 terrorist attack in Israel by Hamas, the Islamist Palestinian terrorist organization. This fact was announced on Tuesday by Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin.
The number of attacks is three times higher than the total number of anti-Semitic acts committed last year, which saw 436 cases reported to authorities. In the past month, 571 people were detained, and 330 proceedings were initiated in connection with anti-Semitic acts, the Ministry of Interior informed AFP news agency. ‘There have also been anti-Muslim acts, but these do not reach the level we see with anti-Semitism,’ emphasized Darmanin. ‘There are mosques that have received death threats, threats of attacks, and there is a lot of anti-Islamic rhetoric, including television programs,’ he added, indicating that either the judiciary or the media authority, Arcom, is already investigating these cases.
The minister also indicated on X that since the beginning of this year, authorities have registered 1,762 anti-Semitic acts, 564 anti-Christian, and 131 anti-Muslim acts. The minister detailed the nature of the recorded anti-Semitic acts after Abdelali Mamoun, the Imam of the Paris Grand Mosque, asked on RMC radio on Tuesday where the approximately 1,500 anti-Semitic acts in France happened. ‘I would like them to be made public so that we can show solidarity with the Jews in France,’ said the religious leader. The Interior Minister condemned what he called “very shocking allusions.”
According to the ministry’s summary, half of the anti-Semitic acts are ‘inscriptions, posters, banners, among others “death to the Jews” and swastikas,’ 22 per cent are threats and insults, 10 per cent glorify terrorism, 8 per cent are vandalism, 6 per cent are suspicious behaviour, 2 per cent are bodily harm, and 2 per cent are attacks on community places. Most cases were reported in Paris.
France is home to the largest Jewish community in Europe, estimated at between 500 and 600 thousand people. It also has the largest Muslim population in Europe, estimated between 5 and 6 million.
Nearly 200,000 people took part in anti-Semitism protests across the country on Sunday, which representatives of several religions attended. Still, representatives of the Paris Grand Mosque and the Council of Muslim Faith did not join in, expressing their regret that the organizers did not speak out against Islamophobia.
Source: MTI
