Two trees planted in memory of Ilan Halimi, the 23-year-old Jewish man abducted and killed over a decade ago, found vandalised as new figures showed antisemitism in France soared last year.
One tree in Saint-Genevieve-des-Bois, south of Paris, was chopped off, while the other was left partially cut.
The discovery came days after antisemitic graffiti was daubed in Paris during the gilet jaunes protests.
The trees had been planted in the area where Ilan Halimi was found agonising in 2006, left for dead near railway tracks by the men who had tortured him for 24 days.
He died on the way to the hospital. He had been abducted, tortured and killed because the gang believed Jews “were rich”.
« Ici on plantera des arbres encore plus grands, encore plus beaux ».
— Christophe Castaner (@CCastaner) February 11, 2019
À Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, en mémoire d’Ilan Halimi. pic.twitter.com/Jy1J2mwpg1
New government figures showed there had been 541 antisemitic incidents in France in 2018, an increase of 74 per cent on the previous year.
“We will plant bigger, even more beautiful trees,” tweetedChristophe Castaner, France’s interior minister, who shared a video of his visit to the memorial on Monday night with community leaders.
“They want to assassinate Ilan Halimi a second time,” a message from the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois City Hall said.
The vandalism came after a weekend in which graffiti was found in several areas across Paris, with a bagel restaurant called “Bagelstein” and a letterbox carrying the portrait of the late Simone Veil, the Holocaust survivor and former minister, among the latest targets.
The German word Juden was spray-painted on the restaurant’s window and swastikas were drawn on the mail box.
Monday’s vandalism — two days before the anniversary of the murder — was precisely why Ruth Halimi, Ilan’s mother, had his coffin moved to Israel, family lawyer Franciz Szpiner said.
“At the time I thought it was too bad he wouldn’t be buried in France,” he told French television. “Now I see Ruth Halimi was right”.
The local City Hall and anti-racist associations called on people to attend Wednesday’s annual commemoration, held where the trees were cut.
On the same day the French government is also set to unveil its first award in the name of Ilan Halimi, rewarding projects fighting hatred.
