Three Bulgarian men were sentenced by a Paris court for vandalizing the Wall of the Righteous, a memorial dedicated to rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust. The suspects, Georgi Filipov, Nikolay Ivanov, and Kiril Milushev, were found guilty of conspiring to spray red paint on the memorial during an incident in May 2024, which left thirty-five red handprints at the site.
The trial, which took place over three days, saw the defendants admitting to the vandalism but denying any affiliations with foreign powers or antisemitic motives. They claimed their actions were driven by personal issues or financial motives, highlighting a stark contrast to the gravity of their crime.
The incident was reported as part of a series of symbolic attacks in France that included other acts of vandalism, such as pigs’ heads left outside mosques and graffiti in various locations in Paris. These events have drawn concern about their potential links to organized discontent, possibly facilitated by external entities aiming to exploit societal divisions in France.
The Kremlin has been viewed as a particularly interested party, given France’s social and political dynamics. Various sources suggest that Moscow may utilize people like the three men as “low-budget” assets in a broader strategy of hybrid warfare against Western democracies.
Following their trial, Filipov was sentenced to two years, Milushev received two years, and Ivanov was given a four-year sentence, identified as the primary instigator. A fourth individual, Mircho Angelov, remains at large and is believed to have connections to Russian intelligence. The defense argued their clients were unwitting participants in a larger scheme, likening them to pawns in an ongoing geopolitical conflict.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c891d43l8pyo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss