Posted on 02/27/2006 9:20:21 AM PST by Mobile Vulgus
In the middle of February, Ilan Halimi, a young Jewish Frenchman, was lured into the hands of kidnappers by a pretty female decoy. Assuming that he was rich because he was Jewish, Ilan was held for an initial ransom of over $500,000 -- an amount later lowered to $6,000 when it became clear to the kidnappers that Ilan's family was not as well off as their racist assumptions imagined. (See story at Killing in France Seen as 'Wake-Up Call' - Washington Post)
But, this isn't just a prosaic kidnapping for ransom story, unfortunately. For this gang that took Ilan is no disorganized group of common nere-do-wells roaming the French countryside. This gang, calling themselves "The Barbarians", is a well organized, murderous, and racist band of youths who are often identified with Islam and have recently been responsible for a lot of crime in France.
The ringleader, Youssef Fofana, 25, a French citizen of Ivorian origin, from Ivory Coast, has been apprehended by authorities and awaits trial.
While Ilan was held captive by these thugs he was mercilessly tortured. He was beaten, burned by cigarette butts, had fingers cut off, and was finally burned alive and left to die beside some rail tracks where he was discovered, barely alive, by police. Ilan died shortly after being discovered.
Over the last several years, anti-Jewish violence, property destruction, and racist language has been wildly increasing and French-Jews are worried more every month that it will spiral even higher. In a region that boasts over 5 million people of Muslim faith, the Jews number less than a million and the disparity in numbers does not bode well for the safety of Jewish citizens, especially in a country with deep underlying anti-Jewish sentiment, feelings that are even quite separate from her Muslim population, already pervasive.
(Excerpt) Read more at publiusforum.blogspot.com ...
But not much.
ML/NJ
This kind of thing happens in the U.S. too.
See:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1585760/posts?page=144#144
There is also a massive march planned.
Pro-French, pro-free speech, anti-Islam demonstration in Paris (A French After Action Report?) .
Tens of Thousands Expected in Paris March Protesting Halimi Murder .
Thanks for pointing those out.
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