French Teenagers Charged In Attack On Jewish Girl Amid Gaza Tensions

PARIS — A juvenile court judge filed preliminary charges against four French teenagers accused of attacking a Jewish girl, a judicial official said Friday, amid tensions around Europe over the fighting in Gaza.

Three of the four teenagers are accused of violence with a religious or ethnic motive, and the fourth is accused of failing to prevent a crime, the official said. The official was not authorized to be named because the investigation is ongoing.

The four defendants _ aged between 13 and 15 _ are not in custody but are under judicial supervision. Under French law, preliminary charges allow for further investigation before a magistrate determines whether to send the case to trial.

The teenagers are accused of making anti-Semitic insults toward the 14-year-old girl, pushing her to the ground and kicking her as she was leaving school in the northern Paris suburb of Villiers-le-Bel.

The girl was lightly injured in the attack.

Investigators suspect the attackers used the Israeli offensive in Gaza as a pretext, the judicial official said.

France has Western Europe's largest Jewish and Muslim communities and a history of anti-Semitic violence flaring when tensions in the Middle East are high.

Around Europe, several attacks have been reported against Jews and synagogues in France, Sweden and Britain since Israel began its offensive on Dec. 27 against Hamas militants in Gaza. More than 700 people have been killed in the campaign, aimed at halting years of rocket fire from the Hamas-controlled territory.

Anti-Semitic slogans were scrawled on the ground and walls of a public primary school in Nice in the South of France on Thursday, school officials said.

Assistant principal Anna Mari said the motive for the vandalism was unclear, but that the school had also been targeted a year ago after an outburst of violence in the Middle East.

Comments

[abdallac]

How disgusting that they did this to another kid!!

This is the direct result of equating Jewishness with Zionism. So now everybody who is pisst off at Israel thinks that every Jew supports their actions - and even if they do, no one had a right to hurt or malign them.

I am sorry that this may really lead to anti Jewish sentiment. However I think more and more Jews are recognizing that they also have a share in speaking up and out.

[JJordan1124]

This is so sad. However, this does remind me of a very inspiring article I read today. Seeds of Peace is such an amazing concept to bring to real life. AMAZING. I love that it helps kids realize that they're similar, regardless of race and culture. http://www.bettyconfidential.com/ar/ld/a/seeds_of_peace.html

[rabiddog6708]

What a wonderful world we live in, filled with such wonderful people. These four teens should be made an example of. Shame them in public. That girl is not part of the Israeli government. And four guys beating on a girl......I hope their parents are really proud of the sons they have raised.

[Dukedraven]

It's not a surprise. Violence begets violence. Children imitate what the adults are doing.

[winningticket]

Two wrongs don't make a right.

[oakley9]

The ripple effects of war.

[Britishdemocrat]

I condemn this attack on a Jewish girl, I indeed do. the suffering on all sides is appalling, and I wish to make an address to those people who are biased towards a particular side. The suffering of innocent people is wrong. Therefore, if you are pro-Israeli, how can you ignore the suffering of the Palestinians. On the other side, for those that are pro-Palestinian, how can you ignore the rockets that are raining down on Jewish homes in Israel? If either of you want peace, how can you justify killing one person for another? This is entirely the wrong way towards peace, because unless the body count goes to zero, killing just one for another will mean there is no peace. For there to be peace ALL killing must stop on both sides. But there will never be peace, because both sides are determined to annihilate each other off the face of the Earth. One side will have to stop fighting soon, otherwise the suffering will go on and there will never be peace. Hopefully, an Obama administration will make this peace come about.

[seadickrun]

I have no hope that Obama can accomplish what Carter and Clinton could not. What is Hillary Clinton going to say or do that wasn't already said during the eight year Clinton reign?

[Zonie]

This demonstrates why collective punishment is wrong.

The girl is not responsible for Israel's actions. She is not guilty of anything.

Palestinians are not all guilty as a collective either.

[bermanator]

This has nothing to do with collective punishment.

The girl is one person, not a collective, and she was attacked by a group of teenagers not the victim of a military operation.

There is no parallel between this and the Palestinian situation, this is just typical ignorance-driven anti-semitis m.

[kellygrrrl]

our children reflect that which we show them

[RockySoldier]

ah, the oh-so-high minded and evolved europeans. racism only happens in america, huh?

let's ask the muslims and the jews if europe has been kind to them. i'm thinking not so much.

[hamchunk]

Read a French newspaper and you will find it was Arabs of French decent that attacked her. Get it right. Though there are thugs of every color, in this case it was Muslim vs. Jew.

[SaulBloodworth]

Yes, and we will see a lot more of this

[CalverH]

Who said that racism only happens in America ? And it is not because it is also hapenning in Europe that it is ok ...