An antisemitic act of vandalism shook the heart of Paris over Shabbos as three historic shuls, a well-known Jewish restaurant, and a Holocaust memorial in the city’s 4th arrondissement were defaced with green paint, widely associated with Islamic symbolism.
According to Paris police, security cameras captured a hooded figure in black defacing the Holocaust memorial around 4:30 a.m., roughly 45 minutes before officers discovered the scene. An open bucket of paint was later found near the Chez Marianne Jewish restaurant.
The Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation on the grounds of “religiously motivated vandalism,” and transferred the case to the city’s special security unit.
The incident sparked swift and widespread condemnation across France’s political spectrum. Yonathan Arfi, president of the CRIF (Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions), told AFP: “There is deep sorrow and shock in seeing these images this morning.” Former French President François Hollande denounced the act as “intolerable. Antisemitism has no place in our Republic.”
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced that the city would be filing an official complaint, calling the attack “an act of intimidation that must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.” Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau described it as “a vile expression of hatred toward the Jewish community,” and far-left MP Manon Aubry called it “a despicable racist act,” adding, “Racism is poison; unity is the antidote.”
Jordan Bardella, leader of the far-right National Rally party, said that the attack “bears all the hallmarks of resurgent antisemitism in our country.” The Israeli Embassy in France also issued a statement labeling it “a coordinated antisemitic assault,” adding, “This cannot be separated from the troubling rhetoric we’ve witnessed from certain French leaders in recent weeks amid the Gaza conflict.”
Emmanuel Grégoire, a Socialist MP running for mayor of Paris, called for the establishment of a city department dedicated to combating racism, antisemitism, homophobia, and all forms of discrimination. Fellow Socialist Laurent Wauquiez remarked: “I think of the Righteous Among the Nations who saved Jews during the war. It’s shameful that this is where we are today. France deserves better.”
Socialist Party Secretary Olivier Faure was unequivocal: “Whether or not this was politically manipulated, it is an antisemitic act targeting the Jews of France.” The anti-racism group SOS Racisme also issued a strong condemnation.
The attack echoes a similar event in May 2024, when a red handprint—a symbol tied to a brutal lynching of Israeli soldiers in Ramallah in 2000—was spray-painted on the Wall of the Righteous at the Holocaust Memorial. In that case, three Bulgarian nationals were arrested and the act was attributed by French security services to foreign interference by Russian-speaking actors.
In light of the latest attack, Interior Minister Retailleau ordered heightened security around Jewish institutions ahead of Shavuos. He noted that “over 60% of religiously motivated crimes in France are antisemitic,” warning that the Jewish community remains under specific threat.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog commented: “I was horrified by the attack on Jewish institutions in Paris over Shabbos, including the historic shul in the Marais district, founded by my great-great-grandfather. I spoke this evening with CRIF leadership and Jewish community heads in France, expressing my full support and solidarity during this difficult time. I call on French authorities to act swiftly and decisively to bring the perpetrators to justice and to safeguard the Jewish community against all manifestations of hatred and violence.”

{Matzav.com}