‘Despicable acts’: Bourne condemns anti-Semitic acts with ‘absolute firmness’

She won’t miss anything. Faced with a rise in anti-Semitic acts since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, Elizabeth Bourne on Tuesday condemned the “despicable acts” “with the greatest firmness.” Since October 7, “more than 850 incidents have occurred and approximately 6,000 online reports have been made,” the prime minister said during a government meeting in the National Assembly, reporting “more than 430 arrests and more than 230 ongoing investigations.”

This is particularly true in Paris, where prosecutors launched an investigation after discovering Stars of David painted on building facades, and in Petit-Quevilly (Seine-Maritime), where the mayor filed a complaint due to “anti-Semitic” tags, including swastikas, slurs against Jews, the State of Israel, and threats directed directly at an elected official.

“Nothing can be tolerated”

“On behalf of the government, I condemn these heinous acts with absolute firmness,” responded Elizabeth Bourne, declaring that “to attack someone because they are Jews (…) is to attack the very soul of the Republic. “It is the duty of the Republic to protect all the Jews of France,” she insisted, arguing that “all those responsible for these actions must be arrested and convicted” and that “nothing can be tolerated, justified or excused.

Justice Minister Eric Dupont-Moretti announced on Sunday that more than 400 people had been arrested in France for “anti-Semitic acts” following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. The Minister of Justice did not specify the nature of these actions, but noted that “severe prison terms were imposed.” We must “respond firmly and quickly to actions that have no place in our country,” he said.