French Authorities Arrest Man in Attempted Arson on Synagogue

A man suspected of setting fire to a synagogue in a town in southern France was arrested on Aug. 24 after an exchange of gunfire with police.
“Thanks to the police, and mainly the RAID, who intervened with great professionalism despite his gunshots,” he wrote.
RAID is a French police unit.
He thanked law enforcement and emergency services “who intervened with exceptional speed.”
“We probably avoided an absolute tragedy,” Attal said.
“To attack a French person because he is Jewish is to attack all French people. Tolerating or legitimizing verbal attacks is to open the way to physical attacks.”
The suspect was arrested on the evening of Aug. 24 in the city of Nimes.
“Before the police could intervene, [the suspect] opened fire on the [police], who returned fire. The man was wounded in the face,” the anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office said, adding that two other people were taken into custody.
A police officer was slightly injured when a gas canister exploded as police secured the site of the attack on the morning of Aug. 24, Attal said.
“This is not just attacking a place of worship; it is an act to try to kill Jews. This is anti-Semitism in France. But the French Jews will not back down,” he said.
“These incendiary provocations must stop!” he said.
The commission increased EU funding to protect Jewish places of worship and other premises. It also instituted measures to ensure that social media platforms take swift action against anti-Semitic content.
“Synagogues have been vandalized. Jewish cemeteries have been desecrated,” she said.
“Most respondents continue to worry for their own (53 percent) and their family’s (60 percent) safety and security,” it said.
“Over the years, FRA research has shown that anti-Semitism tends to increase in times of tension in the Middle East. In this survey, 75 percent feel that people hold them responsible for the Israeli government’s actions because they are Jewish.”
The survey called for monitoring and adequate funding for strategies to combat anti-Semitism and action plans across Europe and for improving the recording of such incidents.