World Jewish News

New violent anti-Semitic aggression against a Jewish family at their home near Paris

CRIF, the umbrella representative group of Jewish institutions in France, condemned with force the very violent anti-Semitic aggression of a Jewish family near Paris which was sequestered, tied up, beaten and stolen at their home in Livry Gargan, a commune located 15 km north-east of Paris.

The aggression occurred in the night of Thursday to Friday at the house of family Pinto.

On the night of 7-8 September 2017, the members of a Jewish family of Livry Gargan (93) were violently assaulted and threatened with death at their home by three man described as Black Africans.

According to the first testimony of the victims, the attackers broke into the pavilion, cut off electectricty, sequestered the son of the family. Then they attacked his parents. They were assaulted, beaten and threatened wityh death.

The aggressors shouted anti-Semitic words, a sign that they had not entered this house by chance and that the aggression had been carefully prepared. ‘’You are Jews, you have money," they reportedly shouted.

They claimed the jewelry and credit cards of the family. Then they looked for cash. After not finding what they wanted, they threatened and then beat the father, Roger Pinto and his family, and shouted anti-Semitic insults to them. Pinto is the head of Jewish organisation SIONA.

The attack lasted several hours and on Friday morning the wife was able to alert an emergency service to the police by cellphone while the 3 perpetrators fled.

For the President of the CRIF, Francis Kalifat, ‘’this odious act is the proof if need to be, that the Jews of France are particularly threatened not only in the street but also for some time within their home which is even more disturbing.’’

‘’After the atrocious murder of Sarah Halimi at her home last April, this new aggression must lead the authorities of our country to a heightened vigilance and exemplary and dissuasive sanctions,’’ he added in a statement.

According to the National Bureau for Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism (BNCVA) watchdog group, the attack is similar to another anti-Semitic aggression against a family at their home in Creteil, near Paris, in December 2014.

The BNVCA has called on police to do everything possible to identify and arrest the perpetrators of this new violent and premeditated anti-Jewish aggression ''which, once again, does not come from neo-Nazis but from immigration.''

The Confederation of Jews of France and Friends of Israel said in a statement "to be shocked and outraged by the vile anti-Semitic aggression against our friend Roger Pinto, his wife and son, on their return from vacation, in the night of Thursday 7th September and Friday 8th September.''

''Roger Pinto, like the rest of his family, is an indefectible activist and an unconditional supporter of the most needy in France and Israel, of all the fighting in the fight against anti-Semitism and for the defense of the perpetuation of the State of Israel.''''

''Today he has been attacked by anti-Semites similar to those who had assaulted Ilan Halimi and more recently Sarah Halimi,'' the group said.

EJP