Police clashed with pro-Palestinian French youth Sunday, after they defied a ban on a protest against Israel's Gaza offensive and set fire to cars, destroyed stores and attacked two synagogues in Paris suburbs, Reuters reported. Since France has both the largest Jewish and Muslim populations in Europe, flare-ups of violence in the two-week-old Middle East conflict has added to tensions between the two communities.
The clashes came hours after France honored some 13,000 Jews rounded up 72 years ago, most kept in a cycling stadium before being sent to Auschwitz. While one Sarcelles synagogue was attacked, another one in nearby Garges les Gonesse caught on fire after Molotov cocktails were thrown at it. It was confirmed to be quickly extinguished, an umbrella group representing French Jews, known as CRIF, said Sunday night.
Police, backed by a helicopter overhead, responded with tear gas and shots from non-lethal guns during hours of unrest in the northern suburb of Sarcelles, home to a large Jewish community, the Associated Press reported. The unrest was the second time in two days that pro-Palestinian demonstrations in France turned violent. The demonstration, like the one in Paris on Saturday, had been banned to ensure peace.
"It is unacceptable to target synagogues or shops simply because they are managed by Jews," Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told reporters during a visit to Sarcelle. "Nothing can justify anti-Semitism, nothing can justify that kind of violence. This will be fought and sanctioned," he said.
CRIF denounced "fanatic groups" behind the attacks and said anti-Semitic violence "is growing by the day," according to the AP. "It is time to treat it as a 'form of terrorist deviation and treat it as such," the group said in a statement.
"In the first three months of 2014 more Jews left France for Israel than at any other time since the Jewish state was created in 1948, citing economic hardships in France's stagnating economy but also rising anti-Semitism as a factor," Reuters reported. "Since fighting in the Middle East started on July 8, the death toll has passed 500, with 484 Palestinians among the casualties as Israeli jets and tanks pound Gaza. The U.N. Security Council has called for an immediate ceasefire."
Meanwhile, citing the rally bans and a statement by President Francois Hollande's office stating Israel was justified in taking action to assure its citizens' security, some pro-Palestinian protesters have accused France of siding with Israel in the conflict.
