The Paris Holocaust Memorial, three of its synagogues, and a Jewish restaurant were sprayed with green paint this morning, an act that has been denounced by the French government and comes amid tensions between France and Israel, reports EFE.
"I am deeply disgusted by these hateful acts targeting the Jewish community," denounced French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, from the more right-wing wing of the French government, in a social media post while sharing a photograph of the memorial honoring the thousands of French Jews exterminated in World War II.
After "strongly denouncing these acts of intimidation," the Mayor of Paris, the socialist Anne Hidalgo, announced that the City Hall will report the incidents and explained that she has instructed the cleaning services to act "urgently" to remove the paint.
According to RTL radio, a police patrol discovered the vandalism early this morning. The Memorial's video surveillance recorded, half an hour earlier, an individual dressed in black vandalizing the plaque in tribute to the deceased.
The affected synagogues are Tournelles, Agoudas Hakehilos, and Belleville. The first two are in the center and the third in the east, in the XX district. The vandalized restaurant is "Chez Marianne," frequented by the Jewish community.
So far, there has been no claim regarding the graffiti, which has drawn attention for using the color green, which - coincidentally or not - is the same as the flag color of the Islamist movement Hamas, responsible for the attacks on October 7, 2023, in Israel.
The vandalisms have focused on the Marais district, where the most rooted Jewish community in Paris is located.
This is not the first time the monument honoring the victims of the Nazi extermination has been defaced. In May 2024, there were red hands painted on the Wall of the Righteous, an incident that led to the arrest of three Bulgarians and that French authorities investigated as Russian interference.
Since October 7, 2023, France has witnessed some tense episodes due to the Israeli invasion of Gaza.
France is home to the largest Jewish community in Europe and also the largest Muslim community in terms of faith.
Furthermore, these acts occur as Israel has publicly criticized French President Emmanuel Macron for his criticisms of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government for the escalation of the conflict and for slowly allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza.
In this context, Macron has indicated that France could eventually recognize Palestine as a State.