Poster reading "Anti-Semitism Kills" at a march commemorating a Holocaust survivor who was murdered in Paris in an anti-Semitic attack, March 28, 2018. (AP/Thibault Camus)
“Every aggression perpetrated against one of our fellow citizens because he is Jewish resonates like a new Kristallnacht,” the French prime minister said.
By Joseph Wolkin, World Israel News
Crimes against Jews has surged 69 percent in the first nine months of the year, French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe said.
In a Facebook post marking the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht, otherwise known as the night of broken glass, which Nazis destroyed thousands of Jewish homes and businesses, leaving 91 Jews dead and sending 30,000 to concentration camps, Philippe said “we are very far from being finished with anti-Semitism.”
He said the number includes “the most violent incidents, and they reflect the perseverance of antisemitism and its development into a daily occurrence.”
In response to the spike in anti-Semitism the French prime minister announced the creation of a complaint system where people can file reports. He also promised to fight hate crimes on the web.
“In 2019, the government will engage in a legislative process for the rapid withdrawal of hate content,” the prime minister said. “It will fight for this subject to be treated as a priority by the European Parliament and the commission, which will be the result of the elections.”
About 500,000 Jews live in France, making it the largest Jewish population in Europe. Although Jews make up less than one percent of the population, they were the target of nearly 40 percent of all hate crimes last year.
This has led to an exodus of Jews from France, with many moving to England, Australia and Canada. More than 50,000 French Jews have moved to Israel since 2000.
“Every aggression perpetrated against one of our fellow citizens because he is Jewish resonates like a new Kristallnacht,” the French prime minister said.
Anti-Semitic incidents in France soared to a record-high in 2015, but then dropped to 58 percent in 2016, and another 7 percent in 2017. The French prime minister did not offer an explanation for the sudden uptick.
Just over a month ago, four Jewish minors were assaulted in Nice, France. Police arrested four men, charging them for the beatings. The mayor of the town condemned the attack.
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