France accused of ‘passive acceptance’ of anti-semitism

FRANCE has been accused of failing to tackle “societal anti-semitism” after a Jewish family was beaten, held captive and robbed in their home near Paris because of their religion.

Three attackers burst into the house in Livery-gargan on Thursday and held three family members, assaulting and threatening to kill them, said antisemitism watchdog BNVCA. It claimed the assailants told the victims: “You are Jews, you have money. We take money from Jews to give to the poor.”

Gérard Coulomb, the French interior minister, promised a major effort to arrest those responsible “for this cowardly act (which) appears directly linked to the victims’ religion”.

The victims were Roger Pinto, the 78-year-old head of Siona, an association “defending the Jewish people and the state of Israel”, his wife, who escaped and raised the alarm, and son.

The assailants made off with jewellery, cash and credit cards.

The European Jewish Congress said: “Parts of French society are becoming increasingly anti-semitic on the one hand, and this hate towards Jews being accepted and tolerated by other parts.” “We call on French authorities to firmly root out societal anti-semitism and its passive acceptance,” said Dr Moshe Kantor, its president.