The runner-up in the Miss France beauty pageant faced anti-Semitic abuse following Saturday’s event, drawing denunciations from French politicians and Jewish groups.
After finishing second in the contest, April Benayoum revealed that her father is Israeli, leading to her being targeted with anti-Semitic comments on Twitter.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted that he was “deeply shocked” and said police were “mobilized” to find those responsible for the tweets.
Expressing support for Benayoum, Citizenship Minister Marlene Schiappa said the pageant was not an “anti-Semitic contest” and that prosecutors should investigate the tweets.
The Israeli embassy, the Union of French Jewish Students, and the CRIF Jewish umbrella group also denounced the anti-Semitic tweets, with the latter calling on Twitter to take action.
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France has dealt with a rise in anti-Semitism in recent years, with government figures showing a 27 percent increase in anti-Semitic acts in 2019.
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