Two brutal attacks against Jews in France within 48 hours

04 May 2010

In the southern French city of Nîmes, three men attacked a  77-year-old Jewish man outside the local synagogue, sprayed tear gas in his face and left an anti-Semitic slogan on the synagogue doors. The attackers are still at large, but police have released screenshots of footage taken by surveillance cameras (see picture). The 77-year-old man had been waiting outside to attend daily prayer services, Nîmes Jewish community leader Paul Benguigui said.

Last Friday, a 42-year-old Jewish man wearing a skullcap was attacked in the city of Strasbourg, on the French border with Germany. Two men wearing robes traditional to North Africa reportedly attacked the 41-year-old Jewish man, with a knife and metal bar in the city center. One of the assailants is a psychiatric patient, according to the news agency AFP. The victim had to be treated at a local hospital. The two men were charged with attempted murder after one of them told police that he had been "the target of a Jewish plot."

With over half a million members, France has the largest Jewish community in Europe and the third largest of any country world-wide.

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