On Saturday, a disturbing incident occurred in Lyon, France. A Jewish woman was brutally assaulted in her apartment. The attack was said to have been motivated by antisemitic bigotry.
This incident has heightened concerns over the rise in antisemitic attacks in France following Hamas’ attack on Israel, which killed more than 1,000 people, on October 7, 2007.
A Jewish woman was stabbed twice in the stomach at her home in Lyon, with police finding a swastika on the door after the attack.
According to reports, the woman, who is believed to be in her 30s, suffered minor injuries after opening her front door when she heard the doorbell.
The male attacker, who fled in all-black and with his face covered, was still on the move on Saturday.
Stephane Drai said, on BFMTV, that the victim, her family, and the Jewish Community were shocked. We didn’t know when we opened the front door that we might be the victims of a hate crime or even an attempted murder.
Investigators attributed the attack to an “antisemitic” motive because of the mezuzah on the door and the swastika. However, the suspect is still at large.
Gregory Doucet, the mayor of Lyon, condemned the attack and said that “such violence is unimaginable.”
This is not a one-off incident. France has experienced an alarming rise in antisemitic incidents, particularly amid the current conflict between Israel and Hamas. This has led to the return of the hashtag #JeSuisJuif on social media, which means “I am Jewish.” This is similar to the response to an antisemitic assault on a Kosher store in Paris, which occurred in 2015.
It was reported last week that France had seen a surge of antisemitic incidents following the Hamas massacre on October 7, in southern Israel. According to the latest report, confirmed by French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Monday, 819 antisemitic incidents have been reported in France – almost double the total of all 2022.
The sudden increase in attacks has shocked the French Jewish Community. Many have expressed a sense of fear, reminiscent of darker times in history. This sudden rise has raised serious concerns about the security and tolerance of Jews in France.
The law enforcement agency is still looking for the perpetrator and hasn’t given many details about who they think committed the crime.
The woman in Lyon fortunately survived the attack. However, it is clear that living as a Jew in certain parts of France can be dangerous, especially with the rise in tensions in France due to the Middle East war. Antisemites are more open about their hatred for Jews and support of Hamas.
Pro-Hamas demonstrators have been taking place all over the Western world. They chanted slogans such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will become free”, which is another way of saying that the Jewish people will be exterminated. The incident in Lyon is a reminder that antisemitism still exists. There are too many people who still act out their hatred of the Jewish community.
