French Jewish group calls on community to rally for justice in murder of Jewish woman

07 Sep 2017

The umbrella organization representing French Jewry has called on its community to take part in an upcoming rally protesting the failure of French authorities to label the murder of a Jewish woman as anti-Semitic.

The Representative Council of the Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF) on Thursday tweeted out a Facebook event page for the rally, which called for 500 cyclists to gather in the Paris suburb of Neuilly to call for "justice for Sarah [Halimi].”

 

In July, the CRIF expressed “deep dismay” after charges of anti-Semitism were dropped against Kabili Traoré, a Muslim man who threw Sarah Halimi, a Jewish pensioner, to her death from a window in Paris in April.

After Traoré was charged with intentional homicide in the death of Halimi, CRIF released a statement decrying the fact that charges of aggrevated anti-Semitism were not included. "We are deeply dismayed at the decision to drop the anti-Semitism aspect at this stage when it has been perfectly well established by Kabili Traoré’s unequivocal statements and attitude. The CRIF expresses once again its disbelief [at this result.]”

Kobili Traore, the murderer, had a history of antipathy toward Jews in general and his victim in particular. Only two years before the assault, he called Halimi’s daughter a “dirty Jew.” But when he was arrested he was temporarily institutionalized as he had claimed temporary insanity and, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, there was no reference to possible hate crime charges in the criminal indictment.

In late June, the CRIF released a short statement containing four questions concerning the April 4 killing of Sarah Halimi in Paris.

“The murder of Sarah Halimi was 85 days ago already and the investigation is not advancing. Why this silence? Why this omerta?” read the statement, which contained the Italian-language mafia term for a code of silence about criminal activity and a refusal to give evidence to authorities. “What is being hidden? Why this denial of anti-Semitism?”