Netanyahu says Jewish state is concerned about 'antisemitism washing over France' amid ongoing riots
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Jewish state is very worried about "manifestations and waves of antisemitism washing over France" amid ongoing riots, which included vandalism against a Second World War memorial.
"We are witnessing attacks against Jewish targets and condemn these attacks," Netanyahu said during a cabinet meeting on Sunday in Jerusalem. "We support the French government in its fight against the scourge of antisemitism," added the Israeli prime minister.
France has experienced six nights of widespread riots following a police shooting of a 17-year-old Muslim immigrant, Nahel M., in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. Rioters have caused damage to infrastructure, torched cars and clashed with police forces across many immigrant neighborhoods in French cities.
French authorities deployed 45,000 police officers in order to contain the violent riots, and have reportedly arrested more than 3,000 rioters in the last few days.
Numbering about one-half million people, French Jewry is currently the largest Jewish community in Europe. At the same time, France is home to Europe’s largest Muslim minority, numbering between 6 and 7 million people, or about 10% of the total population in France. Muslim immigrants have played a disproportionate role in waves of antisemitism across French cities in recent years.
Many French Jews have shared concerns about experiencing a repetition of the widespread antisemitic attacks that swept across France in 2014. However, it appears that the current Muslim riots are directed against French society, in general, and not specifically at the Jewish community.
“In 2014, I was afraid as a Jew. This time, I’m afraid as a Frenchman,” Jonathan C. said, a French Jewish resident in the Paris suburb Sarcelles, which has a large proportion of Jewish and Muslim inhabitants.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
