France’s Jews are on high alert after the fatal police shooting of a teenager sparked days of riots across the country. The Jewish community fears that the anger directed at police for the death of Nahel Merzouk, who was of North African descent, will be aimed at them, according to local leaders.
During the riots, a Holocaust memorial was defaced in Nanterre, the Paris suburb where Mr Merzouk was killed. “Police scum, from Sainte-Soline to Nanterre, neither forgotten nor forgiven,” was spray-painted on the monument.
Kosher shops and restaurants were also set on fire in the French capital, alongside non-Jewish businesses. The unrest is estimated to have cost upwards of €1 billion in damage.
Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions, said the recent riots were not motivated by anti-Semitism.
But he added: “Because Jews are often associated as being an ally of the government, and accused of being given special privileges by the state, our fear is that these post-colonial speeches could designate us as a target as well.”
Poster Comment:
I had a hammer, and hit myself with it, and it hurt, please feel sorry for me.