Dozens of tombstones in France defaced with swastikas; Jewish graves spared

Dozens of tombstones at graveyard in the French town of Fontainebleau were defaced with swastikas, the town’s mayor says, but in an unusual twist Jewish gravestones were spared.

“Sixty-seven old or more recent gravestones were vandalized with swastikas in pink, white and silver,” Fontainebleau’s mayor Frederic Valletoux tells AFP.

The words “Biobananas” and “Charles” were found inscribed on some of the graves but there was no sign of anti-Semitic graffiti, Valletoux adds.

Meanwhile, the town’s Jewish cemetery which is situated next to the main cemetery was found untouched.

Famous for a royal palace that served as a country retreat for monarchs from Louis VII through to Napoleon III, as well the surrounding forest that was their hunting ground, Fontainebleau is situated about 60 kilometers southeast of Paris.

The incident is the latest to target cemeteries in France, where Jewish gravestones have regularly been targeted by vandals.

— AFP