CRIF president cautious regarding fall of anti-Semitic acts in France

The number of anti-Semitic incidents in France has fallen dramatically in the first half of 2005, according to figures released by the French Interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy. Compared to the same period in 2004, nearly 50% less anti-Semitic attacks were registered in the first six months of this year. However, Roger Cukierman, president of the Jewish umbrella organization CRIF, was cautious, saying that despite laudable efforts by the French authorities, the "roots of the evil" were still there. As an example, Cukierman pointed to an incident last weekend in which bottles containing hydrochloric acid were thrown into a Jewish school in Paris by three teenagers aged between 15 and 17. "If they hate the Jews already that much to go that far, what will they do when they are 20?", he asked.