Three young men wearing kippahs were accosted on Friday evening by an individual armed with a knife near the Trocadéro in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower.
The incident took place shortly after 7 p.m. on Avenue Gustave V de Suède. After leaving a nearby synagogue, three men wearing kippahs were walking around the neighborhood when they noticed an individual staring at them intently. The individual approached them and asked them three times, “Are you Jews? Are you Israelis?”
When one of the three men answered in the affirmative, the individual took a knife out of his pocket. The victims fled and sought refuge with police officers who were nearby. They were not injured.
All three victims filed complaints and an investigation was opened for acts of violence with weapons and on religious grounds.
In a message posted on social media, Jérémy Redler, mayor of the 16th arrondissement, condemned the attack “in the strongest possible terms” and expressed his full support for the victims. He stressed that such acts constitute a direct attack on the values of the Republic and the safety of its citizens.
He also reaffirmed his personal and political commitment to combating Jew-hatred. “I will continue to fight relentlessly against antisemitism,” he said, reiterating that “hatred and violence targeting a community have no place in Paris.”
According to the mayor, the investigation is relying in particular on footage from CCTV cameras installed in the area. He said he is in constant contact with the police authorities to closely monitor the progress of the investigation.
In response to this incident, increased vigilance has been requested around sensitive locations in the arrondissement, particularly sites frequented by the Jewish community.
This attack comes amid a resurgence of antisemitic acts in France.
