Antisemitism outcry in France over 12-year-old Jewish girl's alleged rape
What's the story
An alleged rape of a 12-year-old Jewish girl by two boys has sparked outrage across France and pushed antisemitism to the center of the country's parliamentary election campaign.
The complainant informed police that three boys aged 12 to 13 approached her near her house in Courbevoie on Saturday.
According to one police source, she was then led into a shed where the boys assaulted her and "forced" her to have sex "while uttering death threats and antisemitic remarks."
Government response
Macron addresses antisemitism in French schools
The two accused, both aged 13, were indicted on June 18 on multiple charges including sexual assault; a third boy, aged 12, was charged with offenses related to witnessing the crime.
Politicians from all sides have now spoken out against the alleged rape, with French President Emmanuel Macron criticizing a "scourge of antisemitism" that he claims is spreading in French schools.
He has also directed Education Minister Nicole Belloubet to raise awareness about antisemitism in educational institutions.
Educational initiative
Macron calls for school discussions on antisemitism
His office announced that he asked Belloubet "to organize a discussion in all schools on the fight against antisemitism and racism, to prevent hate speech with serious consequences from infiltrating schools."
Meanwhile, Jordan Bardella, the far-right firebrand aiming to win big for his National Rally party in the upcoming elections, has promised to combat antisemitism if elected.
The party also withdrew support for a candidate who made an offensive comment about Holocaust victims in a 2018 social media post.
Political repercussions
Hundreds took to streets of Paris and Lyon to protest
The Women's Foundation's president, Anne-Cecile Mailfert, claimed the incident reflected an increase in antisemitism since Hamas's October 7 strike on Israel.
However, it also showed "a rape culture to which young people are more likely to subscribe" after being "bottle-fed pornography," she noted.
Ner Sfez, a 24-year-old Jewish woman, said she had come to condemn a crime "at the intersection of sexism and antisemitism."
Hundreds took to the streets of Paris and Lyon to protest after the incident was reported.
Population
France has largest Jewish population in Europe
France has the most Jews of any country in Europe, but antisemitic acts today bring up old wounds given its collaboration with the Nazis during World War II.
Antisemitic events in France climbed by 284% between 2022 and 2023, according to interior ministry data.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told the French Senate earlier this year that antisemitic activities made up 60% of all anti-religious acts in 2023, up from 26% in 2022.