Man in France beaten, allegedly called ‘dirty Jew’ while campaigning for his wife

JTA — A group of men violently assaulted a Jewish man while he was putting up campaign posters for his wife, who is running for a legislative seat in Strasbourg, France, the victim has told police.

Initially, two men who approached Liron Rozenhaft, 41, last week called him a “dirty Jew” after reading the name of his wife, Audrey Rozenhaft, on the posters, Le Parisien reported. She is running as a candidate for the center-right Republicans party in the 1st constituency of Bas-Rhin, which includes the city’s center and multiple outer districts, in elections scheduled for June 23.

Liron Rozenhaft says that the two men pulled down the posters and followed him elsewhere on a scooter. Several other men followed in pursuit. He says he told the men that France “is still a democracy.”

In a Facebook post about the incident, Audrey Rozenhaft wrote that he was left unconscious and said that authorities have allowed for “an explosion of crime and violence” in the area. Rozenhaft was left with minor injuries, including a concussion, according to Le Parisien.

Strasbourg Mayor Jeanne Barseghian condemns the incident in a statement, writing that “we condone no violence, and when it targets democratic discourse it’s particularly shocking.”

Barseghian did not mention the alleged antisemitic element of the incident. Police are investigating the allegations, she said.