Irishman who threatened to shoot Jewish tourist in France given suspended prison sentence

An Irishman who threatened to shoot a Jewish woman during a confrontation in a French supermarket has been given a six-month suspended prison sentence after being convicted of antisemitic death threats and attempting to justify crimes against humanity.

Patrick O’Brien, 60, was sentenced by a court in Avignon on Friday after admitting making the threats against an Australian tourist in August.

The woman, whose father survived the Holocaust and whose relatives were murdered at Auschwitz, was shopping with her husband when the encounter took place.

O’Brien was filmed threatening to “put a bullet” in her head and was also accused of saying: “I’m sorry Hitler didn’t finish the job.”

The confrontation began on 11 August at a hypermarket in Le Pontet, near Avignon, when the couple struck up a friendly conversation with O’Brien about the husband’s France football shirt.

The discussion turned to Ireland’s position on Israel before becoming heated.

Avignon prosecutor Stéphanie Aouine said O’Brien became aggressive and made antisemitic remarks. When the woman began filming him, he walked away before threatening to kill her if the couple did not leave him alone.

Police later identified O’Brien, originally from Dublin but now living in France, using CCTV footage.

A search of his home uncovered electronic devices containing further racist material, including a statement about wanting to “get rid of trash from the third world”, the court heard.

O’Brien admitted his actions and expressed regret, telling investigators he had lost his temper during the argument.

Aouine said: “He admitted to the facts while putting them in context – he stated that he regretted his remarks, explaining that he had let anger get the better of him.”

During the proceedings, O’Brien also cited health problems and described himself as a “committed humanist” opposed to violence.

The court ordered him to pay €500 in compensation to each victim, as well as €300 each to Jewish organisations CHAR and B’nai B’rith.

Judges rejected a prosecution request to ban him from France for three years.

The sentence drew criticism from CHAR, the Campaign against Hate, Antisemitism and Racism, which welcomed the conviction but argued that the punishment was too lenient.

A spokesman said: “To publicly wish for the completion of the Holocaust, then threaten a woman with death because she is Jewish, and walk away with a suspended sentence and a fine of just a few hundred euros – this sends a message that trivialises such acts, and it is something we cannot accept.”

The spokesman added: “The victim’s father survived the Holocaust – her family was murdered at Auschwitz. What was expressed in front of the victim was, in effect, a regret that her family had not been entirely wiped out.”

Following O’Brien’s arrest, French interior minister Laurent Nuñez praised the police investigation and said: “Antisemitism must be fought firmly and relentlessly.”