France jails two over separate antisemitic incidents

Man who participated in an armed robbery of someone wearing a Star of David sent to prison, while a far-right activist jailed for antisemitic abuse and doing a Nazi salute

In two separate court cases in France, a Muslim man and a white supremacist were given prison sentences in connection with antisemitic behaviour.

The Muslim, a 21-year-old identified only as Mohammed, received one year in prison for participating in an armed robbery Sept. 2 in suburban Paris of a young man wearing a Star of David pendant.

The victim, identified only as Younnes, is an Arab converting to Judaism, Le Parisien reported Monday about the incident in Aubervillier. During the robbery, which Mohammed perpetrated with at least one accomplice, one of them called Younnes a “dirty Jew.” He told Le Parisien that he will no longer wear Jewish symbols on the street but is going forward with his conversion.

The white supremacist, a 52-year-old man from the western city of Brest, called an employee of a local social services office where he collects his welfare payment “a dirty Jewess” in December before performing a Nazi salute on his way out of the office, according to the man’s conviction of a hate crime last week by a tribunal in Brest. He was given a two-month prison sentence.

He told the judge that his actions were to express “pride for belonging to the great race” and “has something against the Jews,” the Ouest France newspaper reported.