Latest news with #ElieLemmel
Morocco World
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Anti-Muslim Acts in France Increase by 75%, Attacks on Individuals Triple
Cologne – The French Interior Ministry has reported a dramatic surge in anti-Muslim incidents in the first five months of 2025, with a 75% increase compared to the same period last year. Violence targeting individuals has more than tripled, which raises fresh concerns about rising hostility toward religious minorities in the country. From January through May, authorities recorded 145 anti-Muslim acts, up from 83 in 2024. The majority were direct assaults on people — 99 cases in total, compared to just 32 last year. These now represent more than two-thirds of all Islamophobic acts. The data confirms a sharp escalation in attacks that are no longer limited to property or insults, but often turn violent. One case in particular shook the nation. In late April, Aboubakar Cissé, a young Malian man, was killed inside a mosque in southern France. His death sparked a wave of shock and sorrow, highlighting the vulnerability of Muslim communities amid growing tensions. While Islamophobic acts have surged, antisemitic incidents, though fewer than in 2024, remain at a high level. Between January and May, 504 such acts were recorded, down from 662 the previous year. However, this still marks a 134% rise compared to the same period in 2023. The Interior Ministry pointed out the 'very high level' of antisemitic incidents. Most, 64%, targeted individuals, with 323 personal attacks logged. Among the victims was Rabbi Elie Lemmel, assaulted twice this spring. He attended the annual dinner of the CRIF (Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France), where his presence drew long applause. Christians, too, have faced growing hostility. Authorities counted 322 anti-Christian acts so far in 2025, compared to 284 last year, a 13% increase. Most involved damage to churches and religious sites, with 271 cases representing 84% of the total. But violence against individuals has also nearly doubled, with 51 cases reported in just five months. France, where nearly 9% of the population is Muslim, also hosts Europe's largest Jewish community, with around half a million people, less than 1% of the population. Despite the relatively small size of these communities, the number of reported incidents paints a stark picture. The figures released this week point to a climate of hostility that is far from marginal. Religious leaders, community advocates, and many citizens are demanding stronger measures to protect those targeted and to reaffirm the Republic's promise of equality and safety for all.
The Sun
07-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Palestinian under psychiatric evaluation after hitting rabbi in France
PARIS: A Palestinian man arrested on Friday for throwing a chair at a rabbi in a Paris suburban cafe has been sent to hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, French authorities said. The reason for the attack was unknown, but France's main Jewish association condemned it as an antisemitic assault, and French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou blamed a 'radicalisation of public debate' against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Gaza. The rabbi, Elie Lemmel, suffered a gash to his head from the chair that hit him as he was speaking with a companion in the cafe in the wealthy western Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine. The local prosecutors' office said that it had opened a criminal investigation for assault possibly aggravated by religious motives. It said the Palestinian, an irregular migrant living with temporary papers in Germany, was thought to be 28 years old and born in the Gaza city of Rafah. It added that 'he is undergoing a psychiatric examination requiring his forced hospitalisation'. France's hardline interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, said on X that the Palestinian 'had no reason to be in France' and should be 'severely punished and deported'. The French Jewish association CRIF said on X that 'this attack is yet another illustration of the toxic climate targeting French Jews'. The French Jewish community, one of the largest in the world, has faced a number of attacks and desecrations of memorials since the Gaza war erupted on October 7, 2023. French authorities are alert to antisemitic attacks, reports of which have been on the rise as the war in Gaza grinds on. That conflict was triggered on October 7, 2023 when the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked parts of Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,218 people. Israel retaliated with relentless bombardments and an aid blockade of the Gaza Strip. The ongoing military operation has resulted in the deaths of at least 54,677 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The Sun
07-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Palestinian under psychiatric evaluation after hitting rabbi
PARIS: A Palestinian man arrested on Friday for throwing a chair at a rabbi in a Paris suburban cafe has been sent to hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, French authorities said. The reason for the attack was unknown, but France's main Jewish association condemned it as an antisemitic assault, and French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou blamed a 'radicalisation of public debate' against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Gaza. The rabbi, Elie Lemmel, suffered a gash to his head from the chair that hit him as he was speaking with a companion in the cafe in the wealthy western Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine. The local prosecutors' office said that it had opened a criminal investigation for assault possibly aggravated by religious motives. It said the Palestinian, an irregular migrant living with temporary papers in Germany, was thought to be 28 years old and born in the Gaza city of Rafah. It added that 'he is undergoing a psychiatric examination requiring his forced hospitalisation'. France's hardline interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, said on X that the Palestinian 'had no reason to be in France' and should be 'severely punished and deported'. The French Jewish association CRIF said on X that 'this attack is yet another illustration of the toxic climate targeting French Jews'. The French Jewish community, one of the largest in the world, has faced a number of attacks and desecrations of memorials since the Gaza war erupted on October 7, 2023. French authorities are alert to antisemitic attacks, reports of which have been on the rise as the war in Gaza grinds on. That conflict was triggered on October 7, 2023 when the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked parts of Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,218 people. Israel retaliated with relentless bombardments and an aid blockade of the Gaza Strip. The ongoing military operation has resulted in the deaths of at least 54,677 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Arab News
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Palestinian under psychiatric evaluation after hitting rabbi in France
PARIS: A Palestinian man arrested on Friday for throwing a chair at a rabbi in a Paris suburban cafe has been sent to hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, French authorities said. The reason for the attack was unknown, but France's main Jewish association condemned it as an antisemitic assault, and French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou blamed a 'radicalization of public debate' against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Gaza. The rabbi, Elie Lemmel, suffered a gash to his head from the chair that hit him as he was speaking with a companion in the cafe in the wealthy western Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine. The local prosecutors' office said that it had opened a criminal investigation for assault possibly aggravated by religious motives. It said the Palestinian, an irregular migrant living with temporary papers in Germany, was thought to be 28 years old and born in the Gaza city of Rafah. It added that 'he is undergoing a psychiatric examination requiring his forced hospitalization.' France's hard-line interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, said on X that the Palestinian 'had no reason to be in France' and should be 'severely punished and deported.' The French Jewish association CRIF said on X that 'this attack is yet another illustration of the toxic climate targeting French Jews.' The French Jewish community, one of the largest in the world, has faced a number of attacks and desecrations of memorials since the Gaza war erupted on October 7, 2023. French authorities are alert to antisemitic attacks, reports of which have been on the rise as the war in Gaza grinds on. That conflict was triggered on October 7, 2023 when the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked parts of Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,218 people. Israel retaliated with relentless bombardments and an aid blockade of the Gaza Strip. The ongoing military operation has resulted in the deaths of at least 54,677 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Business Recorder
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Palestinian detained in France after rabbi hit with chair
PARIS: A Palestinian man was taken into custody after he threw a chair at a rabbi on a cafe terrace in a wealthy Paris suburb, a police source told AFP, in an attack France's main Jewish association condemned as antisemitic. According to the source, the suspect attacked Rabbi Elie Lemmel in the western Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine. Lemmel, who wore a traditional kippah cap and a long beard, was taken to hospital with a head injury. The assailant was arrested. Wife of detained Palestinian Columbia student says she was naive to believe he was safe from arrest The attacker is a Palestinian man residing illegally in Germany, said a source close to the case, adding that the man benefits from a status that offers a form of protection for people who cannot be deported to a conflict zone. An investigation has been launched into aggravated assault, prosecutors said. The rabbi said he had been attacked twice in the space of a week. Last Friday he was attacked in the northwestern town of Deauville when three drunk individuals hit him in the stomach. On Friday, the rabbi was talking to a person he had arranged to meet when he was attacked, receiving 'a huge blow to the head'. 'I fell to the ground and heard people shouting 'stop him', and I realised that I had just been attacked,' he told broadcaster BFMTV. 'I am very afraid that we are living in a world where words are generating more and more evil,' he said. The French Jewish community, one of the largest in the world, has faced a number of attacks and desecrations of memorials since the Gaza war erupted on October 7, 2023. In January, the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF) deplored what it called a 'historic' level of antisemitic acts. While welcoming the fact that attack was not fatal, Prime Minister Francois Bayrou deplored 'the radicalisation of public debate.' 'Day after day, our country is plagued by clashes fuelled by hatred,' he told reporters, also pointing to assaults against 'our Muslim compatriots'. The CRIF condemned 'in the strongest possible terms the anti-Semitic attack on the rabbi'. 'In a general context where hatred of Israel fuels the stigmatisation of Jews on a daily basis, this attack is yet another illustration of the toxic climate targeting French Jews,' the CRIF said on X. Yonathan Arfi, the CRIF president, said: 'Nothing, not even solidarity with the Palestinians, can ever justify attacking a rabbi.' France's Holocaust memorial, three Paris synagogues and a restaurant were vandalised with paint last week. A judge has charged three Serbs with vandalising the Jewish sites 'to serve the interests of a foreign power', a judicial source said on Friday. In 2024, a total of 1,570 antisemitic acts were recorded in France, according to the interior ministry. Officials say the number of such crimes has increased in the wake of the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 by Palestinian militant group Hamas, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people. The attack was followed by relentless Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, which the Hamas-run health ministry has said resulted in the deaths of at least 54,677 people, and an aid blockade.
