Centre Simon Wiesenthal

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“The organizers must be held collectively responsible for the violent consequences of their platform. Those that persist should lose charitable status and, eventually, be outlawed”

In a letter to French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, Centre Simon Wiesenthal-France President, Richard Odier, and Director for International Relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels, expressed “grave concern for the safety of the Jewish community of France”.

The letter stressed that “this is not the first time that Middle East events have inspired antisemitic  incidents in France. The last few days, have witnessed unprecedented threatening rhetoric and violence against Jews at prayer in two Paris synagogues”.

Samuels argued that “the transplantation of the Arab-Israeli conflict to French soil has not seen French Jews attacking Arabs, nor can it be the responsibility of French Jews to defend their institutions from attacks by French Arabs”.

Odier, present at yesterday’s ‘Palestinian Resistance’ demonstration in Paris, described “its degeneration into screams of ‘yitbach al-Yahud’ (‘slaughter the Jews’) and ‘Hitler was right’. This resulted in Molotov cocktails and forced entry, leaving four injured among hundreds of worshipers under siege at the Rue de la Roquette and the Rue des Tournelles synagogues”.

See link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6k3RH3AUkc&feature=youtu.be

The Centre claimed that “this film clip shows the demonstration to be a menace to public order that ensued in a synagogue pogrom. The police appear to be passively engaging the rioters. Such scenes and threats cannot but recall the fate of Jews in the same streets some seventy years ago”.

Samuels stressed that “the published call by 22 French NGOs to a march bearing the banners and in support of Hamas – designated a terrorist organization in France and the European Union – should be sufficient grounds for your government to ban any such further rallies. The next is due to be held on Wednesday 16 July, at 6.30 p.m., in Place Edouard-Herriot behind the National Assembly”.

The Centre therefore urged that “the host organizations listed below be denied permits for this and any other public activity in support of Hamas. They must be held collectively responsible for the violent consequences of their platform. Those that persist should lose their charitable status and, eventually, be outlawed”.

Odier emphasized that “July and August are months of Jewish youth camps and Scouts Jamborees, now highly vulnerable to attack. Sufficient police and other security services must be allocated forthwith for their safety”.

“It is, indeed, ironic that today, Bastille Day –a milestone in the struggle for human rights – we appeal to you to ensure the rights to security, assembly and faith of your Jewish citizens. The late Simon Wiesenthal would often say, ‘what begins with the Jews never ends with them’. This violation of the values of the Republic will, eventually, impact upon all”, concluded Odier and Samuels.

The list of organizations signatory to the 13 July demonstration are:

Union générale des étudiants de Palestine-GUPS Paris

Mouvement des Jeunes Palestiniens-PYM France

Fatah France

Génération Palestine

Parti des Indigènes de la République

Campagne BDS France

CCIPPP

UJFP

Europalestine

Forum Palestine citoyenneté

Collectif HAMEB

Inter-collectif de solidarité avec les luttes des peuples du monde arabe (L’inter-Co)

IJAN France

Uni-T

ATMF

NPA

Collectif des Musulmans de France

PEACE (Palestine Action Espoir Corbeil-Essonnes)

Collectif Palestine Paris 8

Américains contre la guerre (AAW)

La Colombe et L’Olivier

AMEDDIAS

For further information contact Shimon Samuels at +33 (0)6 09770158,  join the Wiesenthal Center on Facebook,www.facebook.com/simonwiesenthalcenter, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent direct to your Twitter page or mobile device.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).