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French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday strongly condemned an antisemitic assault on Rabbi Arié Engelberg, the chief rabbi of Orleans, calling it a “shocking” attack, the Associated Press reported. “The attack on Rabbi Arié Engelberg in Orléans shocks us all. I offer him, his son, and all our fellow citizens of the Jewish faith my full support and that of the nation … We will not give in to silence or inaction,” Macron wrote in a post on X.
L’agression du rabbin Arié Engelberg à Orléans nous choque tous. Je lui adresse, ainsi qu’à son fils et à tous nos compatriotes de confession juive, tout mon soutien et celui de la Nation.
L’antisémitisme est un poison. Nous ne céderons ni au silence ni à l’inaction.
Advertisement · Scroll to continue— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) March 23, 2025
The assault took place Saturday evening when Rabbi Engelberg was walking in the city centre with his young son. According to local reports, the suspect shouted antisemitic insults before physically attacking the rabbi. The perpetrator was arrested shortly after the incident and has been transferred to a psychiatric facility, AP quoted French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin as saying.
Condemning the attack, Darmanin vowed that France would not tolerate rising antisemitism. “I condemn with the greatest firmness the antisemitic attack of the Chief Rabbi of Orléans. He has all my support. The suspect was arrested and placed in a psychiatric facility,” the minister wrote on X, adding, “France cannot allow itself to become a stage for foreign tensions that fuel violence and antisemitism.”
Meanwhile, Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France, criticised those who downplay antisemitism, saying, “Those who minimise, relativise, or justify hatred of Jews by a conflict 4,000 km away bear an immense responsibility.”
Orleans Mayor Serge Grouard labeled the assault a “heinous and intolerable act,” calling it a serious attack on the values of the Republic.
Rising Antisemitism in France
France, home to Western Europe’s largest Jewish community (about 500,000 people), has faced a surge in antisemitic incidents in recent years. According to figures released by the French Interior Ministry on Sunday, 1,570 antisemitic acts have been recorded in 2024, making up 62% of all religiously motivated hate crimes in the country.
While this represents a six percent decrease from the previous year, the ministry noted a three percent rise in direct physical assaults against individuals.
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