SARCELLES, France — French youth defying a ban on a protest against Israel’s Gaza offensive set fire to cars and garbage cans in a Paris suburb after a calm demonstration today.
According to Le Figaro, a synagogue was attacked with a Molotov cocktail, but did not catch fire. Stores and nearby restaurants were also attacked.
The unrest in Sarcelles, north of Paris, is the second time in two days that pro-Palestinian demonstrations turned violent. The demonstration, like the one in Paris yesterday, had been banned to ensure peace.
Rioters throw projectiles at French riot police officers in Sarcelles, north of Paris, on July 20, 2014, after clashes following a demonstration denouncing Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. (photo credit: AFP/Pierre Andrieu)
Tension mounted as scores of Jewish youth, some armed with iron bars, encircled a synagogue to protect it.
The rampage comes hours after France honored some 13,000 Jews rounded up 72 years ago, most kept in a cycling stadium before being sent to Auschwitz.
Prime Minister Manuel Valls denounced a “new form of anti-Semitism” on the Internet and spreading among youth in working-class neighborhoods.
— AP, Times of Israel staff
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Sunday, July 20, 2014
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