A teenage Jewish boy was physically and verbally attacked in Levallois-Perret, a district of Paris, on Sunday night, according to reports by his mother and French media reports.
The attackers called the boy, who was wearing his kippah, a “dirty Jew,” threw him to the ground, and kicked him in the mouth.
The boy’s mother posted a picture of her son’s face, which was significantly bloodied, alongside the words “to all the mothers who think that leaving their son of 15/16 years old to hang out in Levallois is safe!”
“Here is how my son came back home this evening. Two boys jumped on him. Luckily he was able to defend himself, but they succeeded in throwing him to the ground and kicking him in the mouth. All that in the middle of the street.”
The post was subsequently shared on social media by the city’s former deputy mayor, Isabelle Balkany.
‼️‼️Alerte #Levallois ‼️‼️Hier soir, ce jeune Levalloisien de 16 ans, qui portait sa kippa, a été violemment agressé par deux individus d'origine maghrébine qui l'ont traité de "sale juif"...La Maire étant en pèlerinage à Lourdes avec les élus, espérons que leurs prières… pic.twitter.com/v0h7Z4qrOM
— Isabelle Balkany (@ibalkany) October 14, 2024
French antisemitism
In an interview with the French CNews channel, the boy’s mother said the attackers had shouted, “Jew, come here, give us your cell phone!” The incident allegedly took place at the entrance to a metro station at 7 p.m.
She said that her son quickly removed his kippah and walked away, but the attackers managed to grab him by the hood.
They then reportedly cornered him next to a subway exit and demanded he give them his phone.
“They ripped off the earpieces he had in his ears, and then they hit him in the face and mouth,” the boy’s mother added.
The first deputy mayor of Levallois-Perret, David-Xavier Weiss, told CNews that “[antisemitism] can happen anywhere in France, at any time. Of course, it happens in areas where there are more Jews.”
“Levallois is the city with the largest Jewish community in France, with 20,000 Jews for 65,000 inhabitants. Of course, the risks are increased in our town.”Last week, a Jewish woman was attacked by knife-wielding aggressors in the 19th District of Paris on Monday, CNews reported.
Three individuals reportedly attacked the woman, threatening her with a knife while calling her antisemitic slurs, including referencing the October 7 massacre.