Janice R. Andrews
A guy has been caught by French police in the southern tourist town of La Grande-Motte on suspicion of setting fire to and causing an explosion outside a synagogue. The event, which happened early on Saturday morning, was strongly seen as an act of terrorism against the Jewish community.
The suspect was arrested after an armed confrontation.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin stated that the suspect, who was called “the alleged perpetrator,” was arrested in the city of Nîmes on Saturday after a short fight with police. According to French news outlets, the suspect was shot and hurt by police after he fired at them when they tried to arrest him. Even though there was violence, the cops were able to arrest the suspect, which Minister Darmanin called “great professionalism.”
Bomb goes off outside of Beth Yaacov Synagogue
Between 7:00 and 7:30 BST (8:00 and 8:30 local time), there was a blast outside the Beth Yaacov synagogue. Police say that the explosion happened because two cars were set on fire outside the building. One of the cars had a gas tank hidden inside it. One police officer was hurt in the blast, but their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
Fifth person, the rabbi of the temple, was inside the building at the time of the blast. Thankfully, none of them got hurt. The suspect, on the other hand, allegedly brought a Palestinian flag and set fire to several synagogue doors, which made the attack even worse.
Leader of the Jewish Community Condemns Attack
A well-known leader in the French Jewish community, Yonathan Arfi, called what happened “an attempt to kill Jews.” He pointed out that the attack seemed to have happened during worship services on Saturday morning. Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, agreed with him and called the shooting a “terrorist act.”
Witnesses said it seemed like a dream when the blast happened. “Just as we turned the last corner, there was a huge explosion that sent a fireball flying through the air.” It was strange, like a movie. “We didn’t go any further,” a witness who asked to remain anonymous told the BBC.
French Government Promises More Safety
In response to the attack, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin went to the scene on Saturday evening to show their disgust and promise that Jewish groups across France would have more protection. Prime Minister Attal called what happened “an antisemitic act” and said that “an absolute tragedy” was almost inevitable. He said that things could have been much worse if the synagogue had been full of people praying.
Minister Darmanin told the Jewish community that the government would do everything it could to help and promised to make security better outside of all temples in the country. “I want to reassure our Jewish neighbors and the municipality of my full support,” Darmanin said, emphasizing how important it is to protect all people, no matter what religion they follow.
Rise in acts of antisemitism
It’s scary that the number of racist crimes in France has been going up. As of January 2024, a study from the Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF) showed that between 2022 and 2023, antisemitic events almost tripled. In a different event in May, cops shot and killed a guy who had set fire to a synagogue in Rouen.
The latest blast has made people worry again about the safety of the Jewish communities in Europe. The EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) did a poll last month and found that 96% of people who answered said they experience antisemitism in their daily lives. This means that Jewish people across the bloc still face high levels of antisemitism.
Widespread condemnation from all political parties
People from all political parties in France have spoken out against the fire attack. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a lawmaker from the left, called it a “intolerable crime,” and Jordan Bardella, from the far-right National Rally, called it “a criminal and antisemitic act.”
Although investigations are still going on, the French government is still very alert and determined to protect its Jewish people from growing racist threats.
