French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a commitment to find and penalize the individual responsible for the recent destruction of a memorial tree planted in memory of Ilan Halimi, a Jewish man murdered in 2006. The olive tree, located in Épinay-sur-Seine, was cut down shortly before it was discovered on Thursday morning, igniting a renewed public discussion about antisemitism in France.
Ilan Halimi was murdered by the Barbarian gang, who held him captive for over three weeks, during which they attempted to extort a ransom from his family. His body was found in a horrific state, handcuffed to a tree and severely burned. The gang’s leader, Youssouf Fofana, targeted Halimi specifically due to his Jewish heritage, believing his family to be affluent.
Macron condemned the act of cutting down the tree as an attempt to further harm Halimi’s memory and declared that “all means are being deployed to punish this act of hatred.” Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez has stated that an investigation is currently underway to identify the perpetrators.
The olive tree was one of several memorials dedicated to Halimi in France. Following its destruction, local authorities shared images showing the tree cut down and discarded in a flowerbed. Macron emphasized that France “will not forget this child of France who died because he was Jewish,” and vowed that the Republic stands firm against antisemitism. Additionally, Prime Minister François Bayrou linked the act to ongoing “antisemitic hatred” and reiterated the importance of preserving memory despite such crimes.
This incident is not isolated; in 2019, another tree commemorating Halimi was also felled in an alleged antisemitic attack. Moreover, a plaque honoring Halimi was desecrated in 2017, highlighting a troubling pattern of antisemitic acts targeting memorials related to his case.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy5wppr1p1o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss