French President condemns ‘scourge of anti-Semitism’ after rape of 12-year-old Jewish girl

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a news conference in Paris, France, June 12, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday denounced the “scourge of anti-Semitism” and called on schools to hold discussions on racism and Jew-hatred after three boys were accused of raping a 12-year-old Jewish girl in a Paris suburb.

The young girl told police that she was approached, raped and beaten by three boys in the northwestern Paris suburb of Courbevoie on Saturday. French authorities described the incident as a hate crime. According to French media, the attackers called the victim a “dirty Jew” and made other anti-Semitic remarks during the brutal gang rape.

A police source told AFP that one of the boys asked the young girl questions about “her Jewish religion” and Israel, citing the child’s statement to investigators.

The boys – two aged 13 and one 12 – were arrested on Monday and charged on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Macron’s office said the president had asked French Education Minister Nicole Belloubet to “organize a discussion in all schools on the fight against anti-Semitism and racism in order to prevent hate speech from entering schools with serious consequences.”

The rape of the unnamed 12-year-old girl has sparked outrage throughout France and in the Jewish community.

Elie Korchia, president of the French Central Consistory for Israeli Religious Freedom, told BFM TV that the girl was raped “because she is Jewish,” adding: “We have never experienced anti-Semitism that extends so far into all areas of life.”

Mayor of Courbevoie Jacques Kossowski echoed this sentiment in a statement posted on X/Twitter, saying: “The rape was committed with anti-Semitic intent.”

Eric Ciotti, leader of the Republicans, also condemned the “rise of anti-Semitism” in France, arguing that it was “fuelled by the alliance of the extreme left”. He added that “we must act as a bulwark” against anti-Semitism.

Marine Le Pen, leader of the right-wing Rassemblement National, condemned the rape on social media. She spoke of an “explosion of anti-Semitic acts” in France since October 7.

The latest gang rape came amid a record wave of anti-Semitism in France in the wake of the October 7 Hamas massacre across southern Israel. Anti-Semitic incidents increased by over 1,000 percent in the last three months of 2023 compared to the previous year, with over 1,200 incidents reported – more than the total number of incidents in France in the previous three years combined.

In April, a Jewish woman was beaten and raped in a Paris suburb as “revenge for Palestine.”