Antisemitic messages were spray-painted on a synagogue in Rouen, northern France, and at least 10 homes and Jewish-owned businesses across Paris, according to local police. Authorities confirmed the acts were motivated by antisemitism.
The vandalism included swastikas and hateful slogans scrawled on buildings in the Paris suburbs near a kosher supermarket that was the site of a deadly attack a decade ago. Police also reported antisemitic graffiti targeting the home of a rabbi and the synagogue in Rouen, which had previously been the target of an arson attempt in May and vandalized during Hanukkah in December 2022.
The messages sprayed on the Rouen synagogue included calls to send Jews to gas chambers, said Natasha Ben Haim, president of the Israeli Religious Association in Rouen, which manages the synagogue. Ben Haim has filed a police complaint.
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“These attacks are happening in the context of a surge in anti-Semitism in France,” Ben Haim told CNN. “I don’t want this to stay quiet—I want it publicized.”
Ben Haim condemned the vandals as cowards who "use the past to stain the present." She added, "It’s regrettable, but we will not give up on anything. We will stay here."
France has seen a sharp rise in anti-Semitic incidents since October 7, 2023. A recent study by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) in France revealed that 61% of French Jews have experienced antisemitic acts in person, often linked to accusations holding them "responsible" for Israeli government policies. Additionally, a survey conducted weeks ago found that nearly one in five French citizens under 35, and 12% of the overall population, expressed a willingness to see Jews leave France.