Jewish Diaspora & Antisemitism

France: Memorial honoring young Holocaust victims vandalized

Macron denounced the “shameful and cowardly act that won’t remain unpunished.”

A memorial in the city of Lyon honoring the Jewish children of Izieu, who were deported to Nazi camps in 1944 was desecrated in France,

France’s President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the desecration of the memorial.

In a statement Tuesday, Macron denounced the “shameful and cowardly act that won’t remain unpunished.”

The plaque bearing the names of the victims, including 44 children and 7 adults, was broken and removed from its base in a public garden.

On April 6, 1944, the Lyon Gestapo, headed by Klaus Barbie, searched the Children’s Home of Izieu and arrested the children and their teachers. Most of them died in gas chambers at Auschwitz. Only one adult, twenty-seven year old Lea Feldblum, survived.

One witness recalled how he was on his way down the stairs when his sister shouted to him: “It’s the Germans, save yourself!”

He jumped out the window. “I hid myself in a bush in the garden. I heard the cries of the children that were being kidnapped and I heard the shouts of the Nazis who were carrying them away,” he recalled.

Barbie was convicted in 1987 of crimes against humanity and later died in a French prison.

By: AP and World Israel News Staff

Share
Published by
Aryeh Savir
Tags: anti-Semitism Auschwitz France Holocaust Macron

Recent Posts

  • World News

US loses at least 45 reaper drones, 25% of fleet, in Iran war

The Reaper’s relatively slow speed and tendency to operate at lower altitudes made the aircraft…

9 hours ago
  • Source-WIN

Hamas commander who abducted, held Israeli hostages on Oct. 7 killed in Gaza

Mushtaha participated in holding numerous hostages, including Tsachi Idan, Corporal Noa Marciano, Ziv Berman, Omri…

10 hours ago
  • World News

US prioritizes low oil prices over preventing Iranian nuclear weapons

Vance identified preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon as the administration’s second priority.

11 hours ago
  • Jewish Diaspora & Antisemitism

Judea and Samaria police force could double under Katz’s civilian enforcement plan

The proposal would not extend to Areas A and B, where officials said during discussions…

12 hours ago
  • Videos

WATCH: Israel, the AI powerhouse of the world

For the last several years, Israel has invested billions of dollars into its artificial intelligence…

13 hours ago
  • World News

US military launches multi-country, kamikaze drone force

In its announcement on Thursday, CENTCOM did not say what other countries, if any, have…

13 hours ago