We will, however, again warn the Jews not to resist, but to die quietly this time."
Posted on 03/31/2002 9:41:52 PM PST by Prodigal Son
A fire destroyed a synagogue in the southern French city of Marseilles later on Sunday, in what appears to be the latest in a wave of attacks against Jewish targets across the country.
Police have yet to comment on the cause of the blaze which destroyed the building in the Mediterranean port city, the French news agency AFP reports.
In attacks in other cities, shots were fired at a kosher butcher's and two other synagogues were damaged in what Jewish leaders are seeing as a pattern of violence.
A leader of France's Jewish community said the attacks were warning signs that anti-Semitism reminiscent of the Nazi era could sweep the country.
The fire in Marseilles on Sunday night was condemned by Clement Yana of the French Jewish Representative Committee.
"This is not an accident," he said. "The fire took hold in several places. It was done with petrol. This is an anti-Semitic act."
The earlier attacks all came within 24 hours each hours of each other at the weekend in or near major cities.
'Profoundly worried'
No-one has been hurt in the attacks, though there was a report of a Jewish couple being assaulted in the town of Villeurbanne, in the Rhone region, causing the woman to spend the night in hospital.
Jean Kahn, president of the Central Board of French Jews, said events were reminiscent of "Kristallnacht" - the name given to the night of 9 November, 1938, when German mobs embarked on a rampage of anti-Semitic violence with the backing of Adolf Hitler's Nazi government.
The Jewish Central Consistory in Paris said it was "profoundly worried by the repeated attacks on French synagogues," and called on the government immediately to step up protection of Jewish buildings and institutions.
The attacks came during the Jewish festival of Passover and followed a surge of violence in the Middle East.
Prime Minister Lionel Jospin condemned the Lyon attack as "spineless and absurd".
"I will not accept the spread of racism and anti-Semitism in our country," he said.
President Jacques Chirac also denounced the violence but denied there was a spirit of anti-Semitism in France.
Police in various areas have strengthened security around Jewish buildings.
Israeli leaders - including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon - have said French anti-Semitism is on the rise, but the government in Paris argues that the attacks are mainly the work of Muslims of North African origin and must be seen in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Marseilles has a particularly large Muslim community.
My how things changed.
It's there alright.
"I will not accept the spread of racism and anti-Semitism in our country," he said.
It's there, both in the French society, and in the very large immigrant society from the middle east and north Africa.
Yeah? And who gave them the keys to the kingdom, Pierre? Who has a history of appeasing terrorists and terrorist regimes, even after barely thwarting a plan to crash a jetliner into the Eiffel Tower only a few years ago? France is as good as gone...Great Britain's next if they don't get a clue fast...
I will not permit such behavior to occur in my back yard.
Oh.......call me "silly" or chalk this up to just a wild-assed guess, but if I was looking for the perps..............................
Anyone else see a contradiction here?
Are there any articles that speculate on the identity of the group(s) involved in this hateful behavior?
The Musnazis have no need of attacking that way in France, as they are, by many accounts, apparently conquering that country from within. How long before Sharia comes to Paris?
How quickly you forget:
Clinton's Legacy = The Attacks of 9/11
Beautiful Marseille is today an Arab city. You can walk for miles and never hear a word of French (and walk for 3-4 blocks and not see a man wearing trousers). In fact, it is more of an Arab city now than downtown Algiers (or Beirut) ever was in my lifetime.
Toulon, Toulouse, etc. etc. are overrun with Muslims. Entire suburbs of Paris are Islamic no-man's lands after dark. French Anti-Semitism is alive and well, I'm sure. But don't let the left-wing media kid you: this is Muslim terrorism and you can blame it on 50 years of unregulated immigration and two generations of diversity-minded left-wing goverments.
Large swaths of Europe are as Muslim as East LA is Mexican.
And for the same reason, unregulated (and illegal) immigration.
If Christian French citizens are responsible for blowing up that synagogue, apply to this space for a free bottle of Beaujolais, on me.
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| An unidentified man cries in front of a destroyed Torah after a fire wrecked a synagogue in Marseille, located in southern France, Monday April 1, 2002. The fire broke out late Sunday night. It was one in a series of attacks on Jewish religious facilities in France over the weekend. No injuries were reported. (AP Photo/Claude Paris) |
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| A police officer, right, takes photographs of the Torah after a fire destroyed a synagogue in Marseille, southern France, Monday, April 1, 2002. The fire broke out at the synagogue late Sunday night, one of a series of attacks on Jewish targets in France over the weekend. No injuries were reported. (AP Photo/Claude Paris) |
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| An unidentified teacher, left, and his relative stand next a damaged wall of a Jewish school Monday April 1, 2002 in Sarcelles, France, north of Paris. The school was broken into over the weekend as four other attacks at Jewish sites occured. No injuries were reported. (AP Photo/Jacques Brinon) |
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| Raphael Perez, right, former Rabbi of the synagogue of Cronenbourg, and a relative arrive at the synagogue Sunday March 31, 2002 in Strasbourg, eastern France . Vandals set on fire the main entrance of the building late Saturday. There were no injuries in the attack. (AP Photo/Christian Lutz) |
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| A woman makes the victory sign near a Palestinian flag, during a pro-Palestinian demonstration held by the French muslim party Saturday March 30, 2002 in Strasbourg, eastern France. The banner in the background reads "Zionists, it's over, the intifada continues." (AP PHOTO/Christian Lutz) |
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| The burned main entrance of the La Duchere synagogue is seen Saturday March 30, 2002, in Lyon, southeastern France. Vandals crashed two cars through the main entrance of the synagogue early Saturday, then parked one of the vehicles in the main prayer hall and set it on fire, police said. There were no injuries in the attack. (AP PHOTO/Rolland Quadrini, KR Images) |
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| View of Lyon's wrecked synagogue after vandals smashed cars into it and set it ablaze, March 30, 2002. Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets across France calling for an independent Palestinian state and denouncing Israel's occupation of Palestinian land. REUTERS/Robert Pratta |
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| A man holds his head in his hands near charred furniture outside a synagogue after it was set ablaze overnight, April 1, 2002 in the southern city of Marseille. The arson attack on the synagogue follows other acts of anti-Simetic violence in Lyon, Strasbourg, and near Toulouse over the weekend. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier |
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| Members of the Jewish community stand near charred religious scrolls, books, and furniture outside a synagogue after it was set ablaze overnight April 1, 2002, in the southern city of Marseille. The arson attack on the synagogue follows other acts of anti-Simetic violence in Lyon, Strasbourg, and near Toulouse over the weekend. REUTERS/Jean Paul Pelissier |
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| A police officer, right, takes photographs of the Torah after a fire destroyed a synagogue in Marseille, southern France, Monday, April 1, 2002. The fire broke out at the synagogue late Sunday night, one of a series of attacks on Jewish targets in France over the weekend. No injuries were reported. (AP Photo/Claude Paris) |
The West allows them within her city walls at its extreme peril!
You nod your head and titter when a high placed government official calls Israel "a sh**y little country" and you have just given the bigots and racists the okay to proceed. France is quickly dropping to the bottom of the barrel, it has allowed itself to become a cesspool. If the good people of France don't stand up immediately, they are going to be the laughing stock of the entire world.
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