French President Emmanuel Macron said that French schools are being threatened by the „scourge of antisemitism”.
Following the raping of a 12-year-old Jewish girl, which police said constituted a hate crime, Emmanuel Macron condemned growing antisemitism that infiltrates schools in France, reports the BBC.
According to French media, the victim was in a park in Courbevoie, north-west of Paris, with a friend last Saturday, June 15, when three boys approached her. Two of the perpetrators were aged 13 and one aged 12, and the Jewish girl knew at least one of them.
The victim said the boys dragged her away to an isolated location before hurling antisemitic abuse at her and raping her.
The boys were arrested on Monday, and two of them were charged with gang rape, antisemitic insults and violence, and issuing death threats, as one of the attackers allegedly threatened to kill the girl if she went to the police.
In response to the attack, people took to the streets on Wednesday to protest against antisemitism, carrying banners.
During Wednesday’s Council of Ministers meeting, Mr Macron talked about the Courbevoie attack. He asked the Minister of Education, Nicole Belloubet, to ensure that over the following few days, schools hold a dialogue on the topics of racism and hatred of Jews to prevent „hateful speech with serious consequences” from „infiltrating” classrooms.
A January 2024 report by the Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF) said there had been a 284% increase in antisemitic acts in France between 2022 and 2023.
It also said that nearly 13% of such acts last year took place in schools. A significant spike was reported in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks.
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