french president Emmanuel Macron and her right-wing rival, Marine Le Pen, both condemned the gang rape of a 12-year-old Jewish girl in what authorities have described as an anti-Semitic attack in a Paris suburb.
During a Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday, Macron said French schools were facing the threat of “anti-Semitism” after a 12-year-old girl told police she was with a friend in a park near her home in Courbevoy, northwest of Paris, on Saturday when three boys, two 13-year-olds and a 12-year-old, approached her. She was allegedly dragged into a shed and raped while they hurled anti-Semitic comments.
The two boys were charged on Tuesday. Macron instructed French Education Minister Nicole Belloubet to introduce talks on the topics of racism and anti-Semitism in schools in the coming days, in a bid to prevent “hate speech” from “infiltrating” classrooms, the BBC reports.
Le Pen, whose party’s victory in European Parliament elections indicated that voters in France and elsewhere largely rejected mass immigration and other left-wing policies, blamed “many months of stigmatisation of Jews by the left.” a sudden national election was called It will begin later this month, following the victory of Le Pen’s right-wing party.
“The anti-Semitic attack in Hauts-de-Seine and the rape of a 12-year-old girl have revolted us. Anti-Semitic acts have increased by 300% compared to the first three months of 2023, which should alert all French people: the months of stigmatization of Jews by the far left through the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are a real threat to civil peace,” Le Pen wrote on X.
He said, “Everyone should have complete information about this on June 30 and July 7.”
2 boys in France accused of raping 12-year-old Jewish girl in anti-Semitic act
French President Emmanuel Macron and his rival Marine Le Pen have condemned the rape of a 12-year-old Jewish girl outside Paris, as an anti-Semitic attack shocks the country. (Getty Images)
France are in the midst of a tumultuous campaign parliamentary elections The right-wing National Rally party, which is leading the way in the election to be held on June 30 and July 7, has tried to make security and immigration the main election issues.
Jordan BardellaThe leader of Le Pen’s party said that if elected, he would “fight the anti-Semitism that has been raging in France since October 7,” the BBC reports.
The three boys were taken into custody on Monday, and the local Nanterre public prosecutor’s office announced on Tuesday that two of them had been charged with multiple preliminary charges, including aggravated gang rape of a minor under the age of 15, religiously motivated violence and public humiliation, death threats, attempted extortion and illegal recording or transmission of sexual images.
One of the boys allegedly threatened to kill the victim if she went to the police, reports Le Parisien. The girl said she knew at least one of her attackers.
Protesters hold placards reading “Raped for being Jewish” during a rally in Paris on June 19, 2024 to condemn the alleged anti-Semitic gang rape of a 12-year-old girl. (MAGALI COHEN/HANS LUCAS/AFP via Getty Images)
In accordance with French law, prosecutors did not reveal the girl’s religion. However, later, lawyer and Jewish leader Elie Corchia said in an interview with French broadcaster BFM that the girl is Jewish and that Palestine was mentioned during the attack. French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal wrote on Twitter (formerly Twitter) that the girl was “raped because she is Jewish,” calling it an anti-Semitic attack.
The prosecutor’s office said two of the boys were detained for further investigation. The third boy was named as a cooperating witness to the alleged rape, and was placed in a special education program. The prosecutor’s office said all three boys “expressed remorse to the victim without explaining their involvement.”
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin described the attack as “appalling” and said police had limited ability to prevent such violence.
Protesters hold placards reading “Anti-Semitism does not exist anymore, Mélenchon” during a rally in Paris on 19 June 2024 to denounce the alleged anti-Semitic gang rape of a 12-year-old girl. (MAGALI COHEN/HANS LUCAS/AFP via Getty Images)
“This is a problem of parents… of rights. It is a problem of the whole society,” he said on BFM television.
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Hundreds of people gathered in front of the temple on Wednesday evening. Paris City Hall to protest anti-Semitism. Many in the crowd held signs, some of which read “She was raped because she is Jewish.”
“Horror knows no limits. Rape, anti-Semitism: everything about this crime in Courbevoy against a 12-year-old girl is abhorrent. I think of her and her loved ones. Justice, schools, the republic: the only answer against barbarism,” Belloubet wrote on X.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
