5,000 police and soldiers deployed to protect France’s Jewish schools

12 January 2015, 11:31 am
A memorial, with a sign from UEJF – The French Jewish Student body SourceL Twitter

French Jewish schools are being protected by 5,000 security personnel deployed across the country in the wake of the Paris terror attacks.

The huge reserves, comprising police and soldiers, have been ordered after a gunman claiming allegiance to Islamic State – or ISIS – killed four people in a kosher supermarket on Friday.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve vowed to guard sensitive sites, after the twin terrorist attacks last week, including the Hyper Cacher store and the earlier killing of 12 people in an attack on the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

French leaders have been at pains to show the country’s Jewish community that they are safe, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will welcome any French Jews who wish to make aliyah.

Elsewhere in Europe, events were cancelled and extra measures were taken. In Amsterdam, a pro-Israel rally was shelved and in London, Orthodox community patrol group Shomrim upped their presence with additional patrol cars.

“Following events in Paris we will have on extra patrols throughout NW London over Shabbos,” the group tweeted. “We ask the community to remain calm and vigilant.” 

A spokesman for the Community Security Trust said it was taking similar precautions, despite their being no indication that an attack was being planned against the capital’s Jewish community.

“We are acutely aware of the importance of Jew-hatred in Jihadist ideology,” the spokesperson said. “We are in contact with police and were contacted by the Security Minister, James Brokenshire MP. The CST and police increased their operations at Jewish locations and neighbourhoods across Britain.”

Unconfirmed reports suggest the terrorist who attacked the kosher store had been planning to attack a Jewish primary school when he shot and killed the police officer.

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