Explosion Outside Jewish Synagogue in France: Police Officer Injured
Kanako Mita and Sawako Utsumi
Modern Tokyo Times
The government of France is opening an investigation into a possible terrorist attack against a Jewish synagogue.
CNN reports, “A lone suspect set multiple cars on fire in a parking lot across the street from Synagogue Beth Yaacov before one exploded in La Grande-Motte, a southern seaside town not far from Montpellier. Observant Jews typically go to synagogue on Saturday morning to celebrate the Sabbath.”
Yonathan Arfi (Jewish community leader) declared that the attack was “an attempt to kill Jews.”
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said, “What happened here shocks and scandalizes all Republicans in our country… Because the reality is that once again, French Jews have been targeted, attacked because of their beliefs.”
The BBC reports, “The French Jewish community already live under high security, with many synagogues and Jewish schools under police protection.”
In May, the French police killed an Algerian Muslim after he set fire to a Jewish synagogue in the city of Rouen.
President Emmanuel Macron condemned the latest attack against the Jewish community.
Macron said, “The fight against anti-Semitism is a daily fight” and the latest incident was “an act of terror.”
AFP reports, “The potential suspect seen in the footage was brandishing a Palestinian flag, a source close to the probe added.”
In the last ten years, at least 45 terrorist attacks have taken place in France. Nearly all these terrorist attacks were done by Islamists who were praising Allah. This includes the killing of 131 people in 2015 by Islamists in Paris – to slitting the throat of a Christian priest.
Lee Jay Walker (Modern Tokyo Times analyst) says, “It isn’t known yet if the latest attack is Islamist inspired – or purely motivated by events in Israel concerning Gaza. Either way, it is a reminder to the Jews of France that the oldest hatred never dies…”
The Jews of France need constant protection because of the changing dynamics of several European nations.
One police officer was injured in the latest attack against Jews in France.
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