Two adolescent boys in France were arrested and charged after allegedly raping and committing violence against a 12-year-old girl who was identified as Jewish, sparking outrage throughout the country as it prepares for snap parliamentary elections at the end of June and the beginning of July.
"Horrified Parisians condemn 'monster' youths who gang-raped Jewish girl, 12, 'for hiding her religion from ex' as campaigners plan mass rally over shocking anti-Semitic attack"
https://t.co/1J0WpOobyr via https://t.co/SxqRZAKB45— Ronni Nicole #KPSS (@RonniNicole1) June 20, 2024
The girl reported the rape in the town of Courbevoie. Three boys, aged 12 and 13, were detained, according to the regional prosecutor’s office. Two of the suspects were given preliminary charges, including aggravated gang rape of a minor younger than 15, violence and public insult motivated by religion, death threats, attempted extortion, and unlawful recording or broadcasting of sexual images.
The prosecutor’s office did not specify the girl’s religion or release her identity, according to policies for the protection of victims, as is standard for hate crimes in France. However, lawyer and Jewish leader Elie Korchia said in an interview that the victim was Jewish, and Palestine was mentioned during the attack.
In addition, Gabriel Attal, the prime minister of France, wrote in X (formerly known as Twitter) that the girl was “raped because she’s Jewish,” identifying it as an antisemitic attack. France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, called on schools throughout the country to hold a “discussion hour” on racism and antisemitism.
France’s interior minister Gérald Darmanin described the alleged rape as “awful,” further arguing that the French police are limited to preventing such violence from occurring.
“It’s a problem of the parents … of authority. It’s a problem of society as a whole,” Darmanin said in an interview.
According to the prosecutor's office, the two boys are being held in custody pending further investigation. The third boy was named an assistant witness to the alleged rape and placed in a special education program. The prosecutor’s office also said the three boys “expressed regret towards the victim without addressing their involvement.”
The attack sparked outrage throughout the country, where tens of thousands of protesters marched and gathered in front of the Paris City Hall and Bastille monument in two consecutive days of protests against rising antisemitism in France, with some holding placards bearing the phrase “raped because she’s Jewish.”
There's a good chance these "young boys" were far older, as I believe they were illegals. They claim to be younger after discarding their ID's to get access as an "unaccompanied minor".
— Scott T (@ScotsBrit) June 21, 2024
Politicians from all sides of the spectrum were quick to denounce the attack, notably after a surge in antisemitic attacks in France following the war between Israel and Hamas. Prime Minister Attal said that “366 antisemitic acts ” were recorded between January and March this year, compared to the first three months of 2023.
Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally (formerly known as National Front), said that if elected, he promised to “fight the antisemitism that has been plaguing France since Oct. 7.” His predecessor as the party’s president, Marine Le Pen, denounced the “extremist left” and accused them of “stigmatization of Jews” and of “instrumentalizing” the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Leftist leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon has denounced “antisemitic racism” in France, though his former party France Unbowed has faced accusations of antisemitism linked to the war between Israel and Hamas.
French rivals Macron, Le Pen decry Jewish girl’s gang rape as antisemitic attack sends pre-election shockwave
https://t.co/02yvkNPl3z pic.twitter.com/2V1uep9jzA— Readean (@readeancom) June 20, 2024
Lawyer Arié Alimi, who also serves as the vice president of the League of Human Rights, called for a united front against the far-right.
“For some time now, there is an awareness that there is antisemitism also on the left and that we need to address it,’' Alimi said. “Today it’s the camp of the left, of progressives that is gathered with all people who are worried by antisemitism and all kinds of racism in France, in a particular political moment with a far-right that could possibly come to power.’'
