Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Plaque in memory of deported Jewish children vandalized in Marseille

City officials condemned the vandalism, calling it “intolerable” • A suspect was arrested shortly after the act.

Holocaust museum in Jerusalem
A candle is lit on Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, in Jerusalem on April 30, 2008. Photo by Daniel Dreifuss/Flash90.

A plaque commemorating Jewish children deported during World War II was vandalized on Friday in the southern French city of Marseille, La Provence reported.

The incident occurred in the city’s 13th arrondissement, at the Château de la Verdière, from where several Jewish children were deported during the war. According to authorities, one suspect was arrested shortly after the act.

City officials condemned the vandalism, calling it “intolerable.” In a statement posted on X, Mayor Benoit Payan said the city would file a formal complaint and had ordered immediate restoration of the damaged plaque.

The local branch of CRIF, the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions, also announced plans to file a civil suit in response to the incident.

Originally published by the European Jewish Press.

Yossi Lempkowicz is the Editor-in-Chief of European Jewish Press and Senior Media Advisor at the Europe Israel Press Association. A political science and diplomacy graduate, he is a passionate advocate for Israel, frequently appearing on radio, television, and in print to provide analysis and counter media bias. Discover his insights on European-Israeli relations, policies, and diplomacy.
“All the things that are both Jewish and immigrant, I think I experienced growing up,” Dee Simon told JNS.
“Anyone who attempts to pose a threat or attack Israel will face devastating consequences,” said Danny Danon, Israeli ambassador to the global body.
Former justice minister Alan Shatter said Herbert Park Hotel declined the conference after asking about an IDF connection, and later released delegates’ rooms.
“Whose battle is the administration fighting here? Kanye West’s? Tucker Carlson’s?” Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, told JNS.