France to step up response to antisemitism – Macron
Illustrative photo: France to step up response to antisemitism (Getty Images)
French President Emmanuel Macron has instructed the justice minister to step up the country’s response to antisemitism, according to a post by the French president on the social media platform X.
Macron said he was aware of the concerns of French Jews.
"Anxiety, loneliness, fear: this week they once again told me how their lives have changed since October 7. They also expressed their desire for justice and protection," he wrote.
The French president explained that he had asked the justice minister to instruct prosecutors to further improve the judiciary’s response to antisemitism and its new forms.
"Two watchwords: absolute vigilance and immediate action, to identify and punish those guilty of antisemitic acts with the utmost severity," he added.
Antisemitic incidents in Paris
In May 2024, vandals desecrated a Holocaust memorial in Paris by painting red graffiti on it. At the time, investigators looking into the "red hands" markings considered the possibility that it was part of a destabilization operation originating from Russia.
In autumn 2023, the mass appearance of graffiti featuring the Star of David on the streets of Paris was also reported, with suggestions it could have been linked to a Russian destabilization effort.
