French President Emmanuel Macron addresses the media after Weimar Triangle talks at the Chancellery in Berlin on March 15, 2024. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
EPICSTORIAN – President Emmanuel Macron has condemned an attack on Rabbi Arié Engelberg in Orleans, denouncing it as an act of antisemitism that “shocks us all.”
The assault, which unfolded in the city center on Saturday evening, is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime.
Rabbi Engelberg was walking with his young son when a man confronted him with antisemitic insults before launching a physical assault. Police arrested the suspect shortly after and later transferred him to a psychiatric facility.
Macron addressed the attack in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. “I offer my full support to Rabbi Arié Engelberg, his son, and all our fellow citizens of the Jewish faith. We will not give in to silence or inaction,” he wrote.
French Officials Respond to Rising Antisemitism
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin confirmed the arrest and reiterated the government’s stance on antisemitism. “I condemn with the greatest firmness the antisemitic attack on the Chief Rabbi of Orléans,” he stated.
“The suspect was taken into custody and placed in a psychiatric facility.” He later warned that “France cannot allow itself to become a stage for foreign tensions that fuel violence and antisemitism.”
Orleans Mayor Serge Grouard called the attack “heinous and intolerable,” emphasizing that such acts undermine the nation’s values.
Jewish Leaders Demand Stronger Action
Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), dismissed claims that antisemitism in the country is marginal.
“No, anti-Semitism is not ‘residual,’” he wrote on X. “Those who minimize, relativize, or justify hatred of Jews by a conflict 4,000 km away bear an immense responsibility.”
France has the largest Jewish population in Western Europe, with around 500,000 people. The country has seen a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents, particularly following the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel.
Antisemitic Incidents on the Rise
The French Interior Ministry recorded 1,570 antisemitic acts in 2024, accounting for 62% of all religiously motivated hate crimes.
Although this reflects a 6% decrease from the previous year, the ministry noted that 65% of these attacks directly targeted individuals rather than property. Reports indicate a 3% rise in physical assaults.
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The attack on Rabbi Engelberg has reignited concerns over security for Jewish communities across France. Calls for stronger measures to prevent antisemitic violence continue to grow.
