France Condemns Antisemitic Acts After Synagogue Blast
(Bloomberg) -- France’s outgoing prime minister, Gabriel Attal, called on the country to fight back against antisemitism after authorities opened a terror probe into a blast near a synagogue in southern France.
Most Read from Bloomberg
Sydney Central Train Station Is Now an Architectural Destination
Nazi Bunker’s Leafy Makeover Turns Ugly Past Into Urban Eyecatcher
How the Cortiços of São Paulo Helped Shelter South America’s Largest City
“Once again, French Jews were targeted and attacked because of their faith,” Attal said. “It outrages us.”
Attal, who traveled to the seaside town of La Grande Motte along with Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin after the attack, added that authorities had registered an increase in antisemitic acts across the country since Oct. 7.
Two cars outside the Beth Yaacov synagogue in La Grande Motte were set on fire Saturday morning. A police officer was wounded by a gas canister that exploded near one of the vehicles. Two other fires were started by the entrance to the synagogue, authorities said.
Police arrested a suspect late Saturday in nearby Nîmes, along with two other individuals. Authorities are investigating the case as a potential terror attack and tightened security at Jewish sites.
President Emmanuel Macron also condemned the attack, saying in a post on X that “fighting against antisemitism is a constant battle, one of a united nation.”
(Updates with details on arrest in fifth paragraph. A previous version of this story corrected fourth paragraph to show that authorities now say officer was wounded by exploding gas canister near a car set on fire.)
Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek
Losing Your Job Used to Be Shameful. Now It’s a Whole Identity
FOMO Frenzy Fuels Taiwan Home Prices Despite Threat of China Invasion
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
