French Jewish Student Group Hit With Vandalism: 'Death to Israel', 'Vive La Palestine'
The graffiti in offices of Jewish group comes as thousands march against anti-Semitism as country reels from murder of Holocaust survivor
Vandals have scrawled anti-Israel graffiti and ransacked the offices of a Jewish student group at a Paris university, on the same day that marches are being held around France to protest anti-Semitism.
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Sacha Ghozlan, president of the French Jewish Students Union, told Le Monde that that the damage was inflicted Wednesday at the group's facilities at the University of Paris' Pantheon-Sorbonne campus.
“A cabinet was thrown on the ground and there were inscriptions such as ‘Death to Israel,’ ‘Viva Arafat’ on the wall,” Gozlan told the French paper. A tweet from the scene also showed "Zionist local racist anti-goy" and "Palestine will win" were written as well.
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He said it came as far-left student protesters were blocking parts of the campus in a protest movement, but said it is unclear who was behind the incident.
University president Georges Haddad tweeted his condemnation of "this odious act" and said he would seek an investigation.
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The vandalism came ahead of marches Wednesday in Paris and other cities to resist racism and to honor 85-year-old Mireille Knoll, stabbed to death in what authorities are calling an anti-Semitic attack.