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In a disturbing series of events, Paris's Holocaust memorial, along with two synagogues and a Jewish restaurant, were defaced with green paint in an apparent coordinated attack overnight to Saturday, as reported by police sources. The assaults on these significant sites have ignited a wave of condemnation from both government and city officials.

The entrance to the Agoudas Hakehilos synagogue was heavily marked with green paint, with similar vandalism occurring at another synagogue and a Jewish restaurant in central Paris. This incident has raised alarm among the French Jewish community, one of the largest in the world, which has been increasingly targeted since October 7, 2023, following the outbreak of the Gaza war.

French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau expressed his outrage on social media platform X, stating, "I am deeply disgusted by these heinous acts targeting the Jewish community." Retailleau had previously emphasized the need for "visible and dissuasive" security measures at Jewish sites due to the rising concerns over potential anti-Semitic actions.

Ahead of the Jewish Shavuot holiday, Retailleau had also ordered increased surveillance around Jewish-associated locations. "Anti-Semitic acts account for more than 60 percent of anti-religious incidents, leaving the Jewish community particularly vulnerable," he noted in a message obtained by AFP.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced that the city authorities would file a formal complaint regarding the vandalism. "I condemn these acts of intimidation in the strongest possible terms. Anti-Semitism has no place in our city or in our Republic," she asserted.

This recent attack is reminiscent of another incident in May 2024 when red hand graffiti was painted on the wall of a central Paris memorial honoring those who saved Jews during the Nazi occupation from 1940 to 1944. The repeated defacement of such memorials underscores the ongoing risk and the need for heightened security measures to protect these important sites and their communities.