Unidentified individuals have vandalized Jewish-owned houses throughout Paris and its suburbs by spray-painting the Star of David on them. This disturbing act has raised concerns within the Jewish community in France, which is already grappling with heightened tensions following the Israeli war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The Organization of Jewish Students in France has reported that nearly 80 Jewish houses in the 14th arrondissement of Paris and the suburbs of Auberville and Saint-Ouen, to the east and north of the capital, were targeted with the identically shaped Star of David graffiti. In a statement, the organization expressed its alarm, saying, "There are those who want to terrorize the Jewish community in France using methods that date back to the 1930s. They need to be found and punished quickly."
Meanwhile in France: buildings belonging to French Jews in Paris were marked with a Star of David pic.twitter.com/7WGQ7UD6si
— Emily Schrader - אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) October 31, 2023
Raquel Garrido, a member of the French National Assembly, responded to the distressing images by stating, "This is a repulsive and unacceptable incident. We need to support the victims of these anti-Semitic acts."
Yesterday, a large Jewish school in Pavilion-seu-Bois, a suburb east of Paris, was evacuated after an apparent bomb threat. The Alliance Network school, which serves around 2,000 students, acted swiftly in response to an anonymous threat, ensuring the safety of all students and faculty. They were evacuated to a nearby stadium, where parents were instructed to pick up their children. Thankfully, there were no casualties during this incident.
In light of the surge in anti-Semitic incidents in France since the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the French government has taken a decisive step by announcing a ban on pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the country. The French Minister of the Interior, Gerald Darmanin, justified this decision by citing the potential for such demonstrations to disrupt "public order." He also issued a warning that foreign citizens violating this prohibition could face deportation from France.
In Paris, Jewish stores have been labeled with Stars of David.
— Naftali Bennett בנט (@naftalibennett) October 31, 2023
As if 80 years have not passed.
The distance between the massacre in Beeri Kibbutz and the streets of Paris is shorter than you think.
Yes, the west is next.
Israel is fighting radical Islamic terror on its… pic.twitter.com/ruwEpy05QZ
Furthermore, amid the rise in anti-Semitic incidents, Yael Braun-Pivet, the chairwoman of the National Assembly, the lower house of the French parliament, received death threats. Under her leadership, the parliament was illuminated in blue and white this week, and a minute's silence was observed in memory of the victims. Braun-Pivet's is Jewish with family history deeply rooted in the fight against anti-Semitism, as they fled Eastern Europe in the 1930s to escape persecution. Security has also been increased around Jewish member of parliament Meyer Habib, who is known to have close ties with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
