A suspect was arrested after a kosher restaurant in an upscale Parisian suburb was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti on Saturday.
The restaurant, named “Mr. Shnitz,” is located in Levallois-Perret, northwest of the French capital. It was tagged with the words “thief” seven times and “Jew” four times, according to the owner, who was on vacation. The establishment was closed on Saturday for the Jewish Sabbath.
Police arrested a suspect on Saturday evening. The city’s CCTV footage was forwarded to the police.
Levallois-Perret Mayor Agnès Pottier-Dumas expressed shock at the incident, telling French news channel BFM TV that “the cleaning of the storefront will be carried out once the restaurant manager has returned from his vacation.”
Levallois-Perret is home to a large Jewish community.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said that he was “deeply shocked by these unbearable antisemitic inscriptions” and praised the police for their response, noting the arrest.
Profondément choqué par ces inscriptions antisémites insupportables.
— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) August 19, 2023
Grâce à la grande réactivité des policiers, l’auteur présumé a déjà pu être interpellé. https://t.co/HQOkjmxKfh
“We firmly state that they will not win,” said Yonathan Arfi, president of CRIF, the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France.
Meanwhile in Los Angeles, several kosher restaurants were burglarized over Shabbat.
🚨 I'm hearing and seeing reports that multiple Jewish (kosher) restaurants in the Pico Robertson area of Los Angeles were smashed and burglarized last night.
— Sia Kordestani (@SiaKordestani) August 20, 2023
It is still Shabbat on the West Coast, and we won't know too much more until sundown when the community is back… pic.twitter.com/AMq2Q4fGn3
Police were investigating the targeting of the kosher restaurants in the Jewish neighborhood of Pico-Robertson on the city’s west side early Saturday morning, ABC 7 Eyewitness News reported.
Five restaurants were targeted, including one set for a grand opening on Monday, according to police. The thieves smashed windows and took cash registers.
The targeted restaurants were Nagila Pizza, Fisherman’s Bowl, Shanghai Diamond Garden, SushiKo and Shalom Grill.
