Concerns rise in France after Jewish teen is attacked

[oberliner]

PARIS: A 17-year-old French Jew was attacked Saturday night in Paris, a violent assault condemned by President Nicolas Sarkozy and described by Jewish organizations as motivated by anti-Semitism.

The young man, identified as Rudy Haddad by one Jewish organization, was attacked by youths of African origin, according to a police source and a statement from the National Agency of Vigilance Against Antisemitism.

The agency cited the use of iron bars in the attack. Haddad is suffering from "serious neurological problems," a police source said.

Another Jewish group, the Union of French Jewish Students, said Haddad had been identified as Jewish because he was wearing a kippa, and had suffered several broken ribs, a fractured skull and was now in intensive care at a hospital in central Paris.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/22/europe/paris.php

[Marrah_G]

1. I hate what religious zealots do to our communities

[Behind the Aegis]

2. As it was, so shall it be. n/t

[Obamarama]

3. Anti-semitism is on the rise throughout Europe.

This attack is indicitive of something that is bubbling up to the surface across Europe. In the case of the attack on the youth, I was not surprised to learn that the attack occurred in the 19th Arrondissement (what we would call a "district") of Paris. It is notoriously packed with destitute immigrants from North Africa and not at all a pleasant area of Paris. If ever there was an underbelly to the most beautiful city in the world, this district would be it.

According to the article I read on the website of the French newspaper Le Monde, it sounds like in addition to the 17 year old victim, earlier in the evening another French Jew who is 20 years old also encountered a hostile group who had targeted him but that he was able to retreat to a friend's house for safety.

My mother was born and grew up in Paris until she, her brother and sisters, and my grandparents fled the Nazi's. I've always felt safe as a Jew in Paris during many of my extended visits, but have recieved dirty looks from some of the North Africans and Arabs who run many of the small markets across the city when they see the Star of David pendant I wear around my neck. There have been several instances over the last few years, though, where people have been attacked outright, such as this young man has been. This is a sad trend.

I have cousins who live in Budapest, and when I spoke with them this weekend they said there has been some anti-Semitic tensions there as well. And, to celebrate a German soccer victory this past weekend, groups of young Germans marched through the streets of a town in Eastern Germany singing fascist and Nazi songs, some of which glorified Hitler.

What the hell is going on over there???

[Indenturedebtor]

4. Ack. I will be in Paris for a day in a few months

Time to polish up my Canadian backpack patch and stow the Chai! :hide:

It is extremely disturbing how these facist sentiments are on the rise around the world.

Can't we all just get the hell along already?

[Behind the Aegis]

5. Anti-Semitism has a long tradition in that region.

It does say something that we see more and more of these stories. Something bad is lurking around the corner.

[Indenturedebtor]

6. Indeed. At least we have somewhere to run to now though.

Well somewhere that won't turn us away at the border anyways.

As global warming gets nasty and food supplies get squeezed etc, you can believe that these sorts of incidents will only increase in intensity and frequency.

[LeftishBrit]

7. Awful

That poor young man! I hope he makes a good physical and psychological recovery,

There is of course a significant tradition of antisemitism in France, though not currently as bad as in Eastern Europe. Hard-right xenophobia is a problem there (LePen has been far too influential there since the 70s), and sometimes as in this case minorities scapegoat other minorities instead of uniting against the Right.

The Far Right is an increasing problem in Europe in general (and probably in many other places too, but I live in Europe!) and needs careful watching.

Here is a link to a slightly old article which gives a lot of the background.

http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:Bs42BGZltZQJ:www.brookings.edu/fp/cusf/analysis/dreyfus.pdf+antisemitism+and+france&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=24&gl=uk