Four Jewish institutions in Paris defaced overnight with green paint, including two synagogues and a Holocaust memorial.
Four sites connected to the Jewish community were vandalized Friday night in the Marais district of central Paris, French media outlet RTL reported, citing police sources.
The sites included a Holocaust memorial, the Tournelles Synagogue, the “Chez Marianne” restaurant, and the Agoudath HaKehilot Synagogue; all were defaced with green paint.
The incident was discovered by a police patrol at around 5:15 a.m. The Tournelles Synagogue is an Orthodox Ashkenazi and Sephardi synagogue located in the Marais neighborhood.
Ariel Weil, Mayor of Central Paris, posted on X: “After the red paint, comes the green paint. This time, the gesture is more precise: a Holocaust memorial, synagogues, and a ‘Jewish’ restaurant. After all, it’s just heritage. And it’s sure to save lives. We know where ‘militant’ acts begin, but not where they end..”
Security footage from the Holocaust memorial showed a person dressed in black at the site around 4:35 a.m., Kan News added. An open can of green paint was found at the foot of the “Chez Marianne” restaurant’s facade. No motive has yet been confirmed for the attacks.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau responded: “I am immensely disgusted at these heinous acts which target the Jewish community.” Minister for Gender Equality and the Fight Against Discrimination, Aurore Bergé, also stated: “Desecrating the Holocaust memorial and with it that of the victims of the Holocaust; desecrating and marking synagogues and a Jewish restaurant— the Republic will never allow this. I have spoken with the Paris Police Commissioner. Everything is being done to identify the perpetrators.”
Earlier this week, suspicious envelopes were delivered to the Israeli embassies in Paris and Brussels. They were examined by local security officials, and according to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, all embassy staff are safe. A similar suspicious envelope was received at the Israeli Embassy in France earlier this month, but it was deemed harmless after being checked by security forces.
