French Jewish community on high alert after nationwide unrest

Graffiti reading «police scum, from Sainte Soline to Nanterre, neither forgotten nor forgiven» was spray-painted on the victims' memorial Holocaust in Nanterre. Credit: Cara Anna/AP

French Jews are on high alert after police shot dead a teenager, sparking days of riots across the country.

The Jewish community fears that the anger directed at the police over the death of Nahel Merzouk, a native of North Africa, will be directed at them, according to local leaders.

During the riots in Nanterre (Paris), a memorial was desecrated victims of the Holocaust. suburb where Mr. Merzouk was killed. “Police bastards, from Sainte-Solin to Nanterre, not forgotten and not forgiven,” was spray-painted on the monument.

In the French capital, kosher shops and restaurants, as well as non-Jewish businesses, were set on fire. The riots are estimated to have caused more than 1 billion euros in damage.

Jonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of French Jewish Organizations, said the recent riots were not motivated by anti-Semitism.

But he added : “Because Jews are often labeled as allies of the government and accused of giving them special privileges from the state, we fear that these post-colonial speeches could make us a target as well. .”

Unrest rocked France in the days following Nahel Merzouk's death last month. Photo: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters

He said the rioters were supported by anti-Semitic and Islamic extremist groups and warned that the unrest could bolster support for far-right groups.

“We are also concerned that this situation will contribute to the rise of the far right in France and legitimize far right discourse that is dangerous for Jews,” he told the Telegraph. mistrust between the Jewish and Muslim communities.

“Every man for himself”, the dynamics of fear and insularity,” Mr. Arfi. said.

“One of the features of French Judaism that you may not see in other countries is that there are large Jewish communities in the working class, in disadvantaged areas.

“This can lead to dialogue, but also to disagreement. It also means that Jews, like other French living in these areas, directly experienced these riots. In 2014, a pro-Palestinian protest in Sarcelles escalated into an anti-Semitic riot in the suburbs. There were chants of «death to the Jews» and a synagogue was attacked.

«We are vigilant because we know that in difficult times, everything can change at any time,» said Mr. Arfi.

One Jewish member of the National Assembly also compared the violence to the «intifada» last week, when there was new violence between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants.

About half a million Jews live in France, which has the largest Jewish community in Europe and the third largest in the world after Israel and the United States.

But since 2014, more and more Jews have left France against the backdrop of growing anti-Semitism.

< p>Only in 2015, almost 8000 Jews. That year, four people were shot dead in a kosher supermarket.

A protester in Paris holds up a sign that reads 'Justice for Nahel' Photo: BERTRAND GUAY/AFP/Getty Images

Furthermore, anger at police continued to engulf France on Saturday as authorities banned several planned memorial marches for Adama Traore, a young black man who died seven years ago while in police custody. police.

Mr Traore, then aged 24, died shortly after his arrest in 2016, sparking several nights of unrest.

Following the assassination of Mr. Merzouk, tensions are still remains high, a court ruled that the likelihood of civil unrest is too high to allow the march to continue.

More than 2,000 people defied the ban and gathered in central Paris on Saturday for a memorial rally.

Dozens of marches against police brutality and racial profiling are also planned throughout France, including in the cities of Lille, Marseille, Nantes and Strasbourg.