Hundreds of people rallied outside the town hall in the Paris suburb of Courbevoie on Friday to protest the antisemitic youth gang-rape of a 12-year-old girl and rising levels of antisemitism in France.
The rally, organized by the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF) and Courbevoie Mayor Jacques Kossowski, came two days after thousands more protested at the Paris City Hall on Wednesday at a rally organized by Collectif Nous Vivrons.
CRIF President Yonathan Arfi on Friday expressed solidarity with the victim, who, according to authorities, had last weekend been beaten and gang-raped by boys aged 12-14.
According to a Le Parisien report, she was assaulted because she had concealed her religion from her ex-boyfriend, one of the suspects.
Kossowski praised the victim, whom he said in a statement had the courage to speak up “despite blackmail and death threats made against her.”
“The mayor of Courbevoie calls on the justice system to show exemplary severity so that this type of behavior does not flourish,” Kossowski said in his statement. “He reiterates his confidence in our institutions, the police and the judicial system. The support of the City of Courbevoie for the Jewish community is total.”
Kossowski called for calm and restraint from citizens, noting that the victim, having suffered, should not endure the pressure of the entire city or country.
The European Jewish Congress praised the hundreds who gathered on Friday, but noted that the “heinous act underscores the troubling trend of both perpetrators and victims becoming younger.”
Wave of antisemitism in France
CRIF identified the incident as being part of a wave of rising antisemitism in France, blaming both left and right political parties for the developments.
“Since October 7, the Jews of France have faced a worrying rise in antisemitism fueled politically by the strategy of France Insoumise, and by the National Rally which attempts to pose as a bulwark against antisemitism,” CRIF said on social media on Friday. “Populism has never been a shield against hatred.”
The European Jewish Congress (EJC) said that since the Hamas attack in Israel on October 7, antisemitic incidents in France have surged by a thousand percent.
“We cannot let hate take root in our society,” said EJC.
At the rally organized by Collectif Nous Vivrons on Wednesday, the group declared, “have you become accustomed to antisemitism? Not us! Behind the 1000% increase in antisemitic acts, lives are at stake. When Jews are attacked, it is the Republic that is in danger! Let us come together to denounce antisemitism.”
President of the France Conference of Imams and Drancy Mosque Imam Hassen Chalghoumi, who spoke at the Wednesday rally, said on social media that there was no difference between the ideology of Hamas and those that committed the rape.
“The rapists and Hamas terrorists share the same education, the same hatred. Parents and the environment have pushed these youth to become rapists and murderers,” said Chalghoumi. “The responsibility is enormous for those among our politicians who fuel hatred and antisemitism. They are guilty of complicity. Since October 7, for eight months, they have incited hatred. “
Chalghoumi emphasized that “instead of helping to bring communities together, they divide them. This is unacceptable and it makes me cry. We need a national awakening against antisemitism, a political and judicial awakening to condemn these irresponsible pseudo-policies that are leading us towards civil war and horrible acts, like the case of this young girl. When a child is raped, the entire nation is affected.”