PARIS, FRANCE:
The French Interior Ministry announced in a statement that a twelfth suspect, “currently on the run,” has been charged for allegedly training a group of nationals on “the instructions of a foreign intelligence service.” The ministry did not specify the nationality of the individual.
According to the statement, the group’s objective was “to spread ideas advocating and inciting hatred, discrimination and violence based on differences.”
The development comes as France has launched a series of investigations into acts of vandalism linked to foreign interference, with many observers pointing to Moscow. These attacks have targeted the country’s significant Jewish and Muslim communities amid heightened tensions over the conflict in Gaza.
Details of Attacks and Hate Crimes
The ministry stated that between April and September, the group allegedly carried out multiple attacks in and around Paris:
- Green paint was thrown on the Holocaust Museum, several synagogues, and a Jewish restaurant.
- Pig heads were left near Muslim religious sites, some of which were tagged with French President Emmanuel Macron’s name. This follows a separate incident in early September where nine pig heads were found outside mosques, sparking alarm over rising anti-Muslim hatred.
- Stickers with “genocidal” content were posted.
France is home to the world’s largest Jewish population outside Israel and the United States, as well as a substantial Muslim community largely sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza.
In a related incident cited by the ministry, “concrete skeletons” inscribed with messages were also left at the Brandenburg Gate in Germany.
According to the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, several EU nations have reported a spike in both antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred since the beginning of the conflict in October 2023.
