Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has said that hate crimes against Jews in France had surged by 69 per cent in the first nine months of 2018.
Writing in a Facebook post last Thursday to mark 80 years since the Kristallnacht pogroms, Mr Philippe said the figures included “the most violent incidents, and they reflect the perseverance of antisemitism and its development into a daily occurrence.
“Every assault perpetrated against one of our fellow citizens because they are Jewish resonates like a new Kristallnacht.”
He added that his government was determined to protect French Jews, including by improving how complaints to police are made and processed.
He said, however, that antisemitic crimes in France had been dropping off over the past two years.
Mr Philippe reiterated his determination to "let nothing pass" when it came to antisemitism in France, and cited Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel to warn of the "danger of indifference”.
In response to the Prime Minister’s statement, Francis Kalifat, president of the Crif, the umbrella group that represents French Jewry, called on the government "to deal with antisemitism taking into account the varied nature of the hatred. Each type must have a specific treatment to allow an effective response.”
