PARIS: French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou on Friday condemned an act of “anti-Semitic hatred” after a memorial tree planted in tribute to a young French Jewish man tortured to death in 2006 had been cut down outside Paris.
On January 20, 2006, 23-year-old Ilan Halimi, was kidnapped by a gang of youths and tortured in a housing estate in the Paris suburb of Bagneux. Found three weeks later, he died on the way to hospital.
An olive tree, planted in 2011 in Halimi’s memory, was cut down, probably with a chainsaw, overnight Wednesday to Thursday in the northern Paris suburb of Epinay-sur-Seine, officials said.
The move stoked fresh concerns about an increase in anti-Semitic acts and hate crime against Jewish people in France.
“The tree for Ilan Halimi, a living bulwark against oblivion, has been cut down by anti-Semitic hatred,“ Bayrou said on X on Friday.
“No crime can eradicate memory. The never-ending fight against the deadly poison of hatred is our primary duty,“ he added.
Herve Chevreau, the mayor of Epinay-sur-Seine, said on Thursday he had filed a complaint.
Paris police chief Laurent Nunez condemned what he called a “despicable act.”
“An investigation has been launched. Everything will be done to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice,“ Nunez said on X.
Jewish groups in France have said that the number of anti-Semitic acts has surged following the attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023 which was followed by Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip and aid blockade.
Halimi was lured by a 17-year-old girl to a housing estate basement in the suburbs, where he was attacked and subdued with ether.
Held prisoner for ransom, Halimi was tortured for 24 days before he was found naked and handcuffed to a tree near a railway track on February 13, 2006.
Halimi’s kidnap and murder stirred debate about anti-Semitism in France after police initially refused to consider it a hate crime, with tens of thousands taking to the street to demand justice.
Youssouf Fofana, the head of the gang, was sentenced to life in prison – AFP
