Attack in Tunisia: “We will fight against anti-Semitic hatred,” Macron promises

After the shooting that killed four people on a pilgrimage to the synagogue of Griba on Djerba, international reactions are intensifying. Religious and political figures paid tribute to the memory of the victims, two believers, including a Frenchman, and two gendarmes who were on duty during the tragedy. The attacker, one of their colleagues, was shot dead.

Emmanuel Macron reacted this Wednesday afternoon on Twitter: “The attack on the Griba synagogue upsets us. We think with pain of the victims, of the Tunisian people, of our friends. We stand with the family of our murdered compatriot. We will always, tirelessly fight against anti-Semitic hatred,” the President promised.

France “condemns in the strongest possible terms this heinous act committed during the annual Jewish pilgrimage,” the Foreign Ministry said earlier. “We welcome the swift intervention of the Tunisian security forces and, together with Tunisia, continue to fight against anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry,” the Quai d’Orsay added.

Across the Atlantic, “The United States deplores the attack in Tunisia, which coincides with the annual Jewish pilgrimage that draws worshipers from around the world to the Mushroom Synagogue,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Twitter.

Jewish Community of the Lost

Many members of the Jewish community also reacted to this attack on a synagogue on the island of Djerba. “It is incredible violence to desecrate the Mushroom pilgrimage, a moment of unity and prayer visited by believers from all over the world every year,” French Chief Rabbi Chaim Corsia tweeted this Wednesday.

More than 5,000 Jewish pilgrims, mostly from abroad, took part in the Mushroom pilgrimage organized on the 33rd day of Pesach this year, according to event organizers.

Jonathan Arfi, president of Crif, the representative council of Jewish organizations in France, was also touched by the drama on Twitter: “Jews live with a target behind their backs, but we will not back down in the face of terrorism in Djerba or anywhere else! To target Gryb in Tunisia is to kill Jews both in the present and in the past, it is to target a symbol of Jewish history in North Africa. Griba is indeed the oldest synagogue in Africa. In 2002, she was the target of a suicide truck bombing that killed 21 people.

The European Jewish Congress (ECJ) also said it was “shocked” and “outraged” in its statement. “Terrorist attacks continue to attack Jews around the world, even when they gather for prayer, as we have learned from countless experiences over the years, including in this very synagogue,” said Ariel Muzikant, President of the CJE. At this stage, the Tunisian authorities have not qualified the attack as a terrorist act.

Representatives of other religions expressed their solidarity with the Jewish community, including Hassen Chalgoumi, Imam Drancy and President of the Conference of Imams of France. “All united against terrorism,” he tweeted on Tuesday evening. The day before the attack, he was present at the pilgrimage of Mushroom. “Let’s celebrate peace and live together,” he tweeted, sharing photos from the event.

Tribute to the devoted Marseille slain

Among the victims is a Frenchman, a 42-year-old man from Marseille. The mayor of the city, Benoît Paillant, paid tribute to him on Twitter, as well as to the “Jewish community stricken with the horror of anti-Semitism”: “Marseille will always stand together against hatred. »

The Jewish Consistory of Marseille paid tribute to his memory in a press release: “We think in particular of Benjamin Haddad, known and loved by our community, and we give all our support to his loved ones. He ran a kosher bakery in Marseille and was always ready to help the less fortunate in our community by providing saturday basket Shabbat Halothy. »

In France, some political figures condemned the anti-Semitic nature of the attack. Martine Vassal, President of the Aix-Marseille-Provence metropolis and the Bouches-du-Rhone departmental council, tweeted: “The attack on Djerba during the pilgrimage to La Griboux is a new manifestation of hatred against the Jews. »

Eric Chotti, the Republican president, also reacted: “Tunisia bears the brunt of the alarming rise of Islamism, which is fueling anti-Semitic hatred. All my support to the Jewish community around the world affected by this tragedy! »