a man arrested in Amiens after swastika and anti-Israel tags

“An individual suspected of being the author of recent anti-Semitic tags has been arrested,” wrote the mayor of Amiens on Facebook.

A man was arrested on the night of Thursday 14 to Friday 15 November, in Amiens, after the discovery of swastika and anti-Israel tags discovered in the streets of the commune of Somme this week, France Bleu Picardie learned from from the mayor and other close sources. “Last night in Amiens, an individual suspected of being the author of recent anti-Semitic tags was arrested”writes Hubert de Jenlis, mayor of the town, on Facebook.

Tags were found on several walls in the city twice this week. On Tuesday, inscriptions were discovered on a pole, near the Starbucks, Place Gambetta. Others have been spotted on a foot of the Perret tower, notably the inscriptions “Israel”, “all to hang” and a swastika. On Wednesday, it was rue de Londres in the Saint Acheul district and rue Gauthier de Rumilly that other writings hostile to Israel were spotted, notably describing the country as a“assassin”.

These registrations, quickly cleaned up by municipal services, aroused the indignation of many elected officials of all sides. The prefect of the Somme, Rollon Mouchel-Blaisot, “condemned with the greatest firmness these acts marked by violence and hatred”. The mayor of Amiens transmitted the video surveillance images to the police. The investigation must now determine whether the man arrested is indeed the author of the tags.