The number of acts of anti-Semitism recorded in France in 2024 should approach that recorded the previous year, which marked a very sharp increase, affirmed the Minister of the Fight against Discrimination Aurore Bergé, hoping that those committed “university and major schools” be taken into account.
“The increase in acts of anti-Semitism is quite spectacular (…), today the figures I have as of November 30, we were at nearly 1,500 acts of anti-Semitism“, she declared on Sunday in an interview with Europe 1/Les Echos/CNews, specifying the overall figures for 2024 will be published by the Ministry of the Interior.
According to Ms. Bergé, “most of these facts are not just insults, they are acts of direct attacks on people, either because they are Jewish, or because we think that 'they are.'
According to its services, personal attacks represent 63% of the incidents recorded.
In 2023, according to data from Crif (Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France) communicated in January, the number of anti-Semitic incidents recorded in the country had quadrupled over one year, with 1,676 cases.
“Because now, the simple fact of defending clear, republican positions, of recalling that on October 7, there were first of all terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas, of simply supporting the hostage families (…) makes of you a potential target of anti-Semitic attacks“, affirmed the minister.
“Absolutely intolerable and unbearable facts”
Ms. Bergé confirmed the relaunch of the conference to combat anti-Semitism, which was launched in May last year, with a first meeting set, according to her ministry, at “February 13, which marks the anniversary of the death of Ilan Halimi” in 2006.
She felt that the “priority construction site“was that of”the university“. Evoking “absolutely intolerable and unbearable facts“, “insults“, “intimidation attempts“, reported “almost daily in universities or in major schools“, she said: “I hear they can be counted“.
Speaking of studentsprevented from going to class” or “who will hear absolutely unbearable slogans chanted right next to them“, et you”feeling of absolute loneliness“, she pointed a “lack of courage of other students”.
Said to deplore that “after the terrible attacks on October 7, instead of having a wave of support, we have a wave of anti-Semitism“, she felt that “today we put a target on the back of every French Jew, because we consider that they would be co-responsible for the humanitarian situation in Gaza”.
