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France: Park manager denies entry to 150 Israeli children

The manager was taken into police custody on suspicion of “discrimination based on religion in the provision of goods or services.”

Zipline, Armon Hanatziv
A girl rides a 750-meter extreme zipline in Jerusalem from the Armon Hanatziv Promenade to the Peace Forest, Aug. 20, 2024. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90.

The manager of Parcours aérien Tyrovol, an outdoor adventure facility known for its aerial zipline course and located near Porté-Puymorens, southern France, refused entry to 150 Israelis aged 8 to 16, French media reported on Thursday, citing the Perpignan Public Prosecutor’s Office.

The group booked its visit “a long time ago,” but the manager blocked the youngsters’ entry citing his “personal convictions.”

The manager was taken into police custody on suspicion of “discrimination based on religion in the provision of goods or services,” an offense that carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison.

“Who will be able to find the words to explain to [the children] the hatred that forbids them entry to a leisure park?” wrote Yonathan Arfi, president of CRIF, the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions.

“This act is not a critique of policy but an expression of violent hatred toward Israel, using a conflict 3,000 kilometers away as a pretext to discriminate against children,” he added. “The punishment must be exemplary.”

Earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron declaring that his intention to recognize a Palestinian state at the U.N. General Assembly in September “pours fuel” on the fire of antisemitism.

Macron’s office rejected the accusation as “abject” and “erroneous.”

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