France will create hate crimes office after Jewish cemetery desecration
'Jews are and make France,' French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted after the attack
The French government said it will establish a hate crimes office after more than 100 headstones were vandalised at a Jewish cemetery.
The vandalism, which included antisemitic imagery and text, was discovered Tuesday at the Jewish cemetery of Westhoffen near Strasbourg in eastern France, the AFP news agency reported.
French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner announced a plan to open the new national office to fight hate crimes the following day.
Castaner condemned the graffiti as a sign that “hate is on our national territory,” adding: “We must respect the right to believe.”
The office, which would be part of the gendarmerie, France’s military police, will be charged with investigating all antisemitic, anti-Muslim and anti-Christian acts, Castaner said.
“Jews are and make France,” French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted after the attack. “Those who attack them, even their graves, are not worthy of the idea we have of France.”
“Antisemitism is a crime and we will fight it in Westhoffen as everywhere until our dead can sleep in peace,” Macron wrote.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
