French leaders are condemning vandals who chopped down a tree honoring a Jewish man who was kidnapped and tortured for over three weeks before dying on the way to a hospital.
In 2006, a group that called itself the "Gang of Barbarians," led by Youssouf Fofana, kidnapped Ilan Halimi, a 23-year-old Jewish man. For more than three weeks, Halimi was held hostage and tortured. Believing an old antisemitic stereotype, Halimi’s captors assumed his family was wealthy and demanded a ransom it could not afford.
At least 27 people participated in Halimi’s abduction and torture, but it is believed that more knew of the crime and did not report it to law enforcement.
On Feb. 13, 2006, Halimi was found naked, handcuffed and barely clinging to life at a train station. He died while being transported to a hospital.
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The commemorative olive tree, planted in Halimi’s honor 14 years ago, was cut down late Wednesday night. The Associated Press reported the felling appeared to be done with a chainsaw.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the act, saying, "Cutting down the tree honoring Ilan Halimi is an attempt to kill him a second time.
"It will not succeed: the nation will not forget this child of France who died because he was Jewish," he added.
French Prime Minister François Bayrou said, "No crime can uproot his memory."
In response, U.S. Ambassador to France Charles Kushner thanked Bayrou for his "strong and unequivocal" condemnation of the felling of the memorial tree.
"I hope your clear condemnation, as the leader of the French government, stands as a model of principled leadership and zero tolerance toward the surge of antisemitism in France and worldwide. Your statement will resonate far beyond the immediate context, reassuring those targeted and inspiring all who cherish tolerance," Kushner wrote on X.
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Despite strongly condemning the incident, Macron was not praised by Israeli Minister of Diaspora and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli. The Israeli official pointed to Macron’s recent promise to recognize a Palestinian state and suggested the French president effectively "wielded the axe."
"Macron rushed to condemn it — but I told him his own hands wielded the axe. No French president has been more hostile to the Jewish community since the Vichy regime," Chikli wrote.
"By pushing recognition of a Palestinian state — under the heavy shadow of the October 7 atrocities, while our people rot in captivity — Macron places himself at the political vanguard of Hamas and of the surging tide of global antisemitism."
In the years since Halimi’s murder, France has grappled with antisemitic incidents, including a 2015 attack on the Hyper Cacher store in Paris that left four dead. In March, just over 10 years after the attack, the store was targeted again. An arsonist set a fire that damaged the front of the store and some of its interior, according to The Times of Israel.
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Antisemitism in France has persisted since the war in Gaza began in 2023 after Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 massacre. Jews in France have not only seen mass protests against Israel. They have been victims of antisemitic violence.
In June 2024, a 12-year-old girl was raped by three teen boys who, according to police reports, uttered death threats and antisemitic remarks during the attack. The incident sparked outrage in France and was condemned by Macron.
According to The Times of Israel, the boys were charged with sexual assault on a minor and recording and sharing sexual images, aggravated by religious motivation. The outlet reported that two of the attackers, who were 13 at the time of the rape, were sentenced to nine and seven years in prison. One assailant could not be sentenced to jail due to his age and would reportedly be placed in closed foster care for five years.
Recently, the Israeli airline El Al has been a target for antisemitism in France. Earlier this month, the company’s Paris offices were vandalized with red paint and anti-Israel graffiti. The vandals wrote that El Al was a "genocide airline."
Just days later, a French air traffic controller broadcast "Free Palestine" to El Al pilots. The worker has since been suspended. El Al called the remarks "unprofessional and inappropriate."
Fofana, who led the attack on Halimi, was sentenced to life in prison in 2009 and is not eligible for parole for 22 years. Two of his accomplices were sentended to 15 and 18 years in prison. A man who was a minor at the time of the attack was also sentenced to 15 years in prison. A girl who used to lure Halimi was sentenced to nine years in prison.
