Jews in France, Israel, UK rally for justice over murder of Sarah Halimi

Protesters gather in Paris to demonstrate against the ruling of France’s highest court that the murderer of Sarah Halimi was not criminally responsible because he had smoked marijuana before the crime.

Halimi, an Orthodox Jewish woman in her sixties, died in 2017 after being pushed out of the window of her Paris flat by neighbor Kobili Traore, who shouted “Allahu Akbar” (“God is great” in Arabic).

But in a decision earlier this month, the Court of Cassation’s Supreme Court of Appeals upheld rulings by lower tribunals that Traore cannot stand trial because he was too high on marijuana to be criminally responsible for his actions.

Justice for Sarah Halimi placards, April 2021 (Crédit : Consistoire israélite du Haut-Rhin)

Three protests are also being held in Israel, all taking place at 3 p.m. in order to coincide with a demonstration by the Jewish community in Paris. The main demonstration will be in front of the French Embassy on Herbert Samuel Street in Tel Aviv.

The Jewish community in the United Kingdom was also demonstrating in front of the French Embassy in London on Sunday at 1 p.m., in solidarity with the community in France. Attendance is limited because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Additionally, protests were planned for several US cities, including in New York, Los Angeles and Miami.

Now in #TelAviv– hundreds of people in front of @ambfranceisrael are demanding that the anti-Semitic murderer of Sarah Halimi be held accountable!

If you can’t join one of today’s rallies, show your support and share Sarah's picture with the hashtag #JusticeForSarah! pic.twitter.com/LGpbHyM08Y

— Combat Anti-Semitism (@CombatASemitism) April 25, 2021