13-Year-Old Paris Boy Beaten on Way to Synagogue
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A French anti-Semitism watchdog condemned an attack on a Jewish boy, 13.
The boy , who was wearing a kippah, was walking to synagogue on Saturday afternoon in Paris’ 12th district, when he was attacked by three youths described as “of African origin,” the National Bureau for Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism, or BNVCA, a Jewish nonprofit which monitors hate crimes against Jews, said in a report issued Monday.
The attackers called the boy a “dirty Jew” and punched him. The boy also reported that one of the attackers took his kippa off his head while a second grabbed him by the hair and slammed his head against a pole.
The attackers ran away when other people appeared on the street, according to BNVCA. The boy made it to the synagogue and later reported the attack to police.
“Those who wish to observe this religious requirement (of wearing a kippa) should not give in to intimidation or threats and should be able to keep their head covered freely,” the BNVCA said in its statement. “On the contrary, it is those who spread anti-Jewish hatred and discrimination who should be disturbed, condemned and neutralized.”
The group called on police to “make every effort to identify and question” the attackers.
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