Antisemitic graffiti and death threats were discovered in several locations in the French city of Grenoble on Thursday.
The facade of the offices of Hervé Gerbi, a Grenoble lawyer and candidate in the municipal elections under the Horizons banner, as well as the premises of the local office of CRIF, the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions, were targeted. Gerbi and CRIF announced their intention to file a complaint.
The graffiti read “A slow and painful death to every member of the CRIF” and “F**k the CRIF” and “Goy Power.”
Gerbi, who chaired the Grenoble branch of CRIF until 2024, responded in a statement: “I am aware that there are still voters to be convinced. The message written on the door of my office is an illustration of this. We must convince people that security is the first of freedoms and that secularism is our common good.”
Attorney Eric Hattab, head of CRIF in the region, denounced the antisemitic intimidation.
“It doesn’t scare me at all. If they’re trying to intimidate me, it’s a waste of time. I will continue my mission to serve the Jewish community in Grenoble without letting these threats and graffiti deter me,” he said, adding that he has confidence in the police who are already investigating the case.
Hattab questioned whether the Jewish community has a future in France. “Today, we hide our Jewish identity, no one wears a kippah anymore, we remove the mezuzah, we avoid being recognized,” he said, adding that many Jews are considering leaving France, especially the younger ones.
“Entering a synagogue wondering if there will be an attack is unprecedented and unbearable,” Hattab said, calling for a national uprising against hatred.
Grenoble Mayor Eric Piolle, from the Green party, said he was “deeply shocked by the antisemitic graffiti and death threats.”
“We must continue to fight this poison that is antisemitism with all our strength, without respite,” he said in a statement.
Originally published by the European Jewish Press.
