The amount of antisemitic incidents in France slightly decreased in 2024 compared to the previous year, but individual violent antisemitic acts rose to the highest in the last decade, according to statistics published by the Jewish Community Protection Service (SPCJ) last Wednesday.
There were 1,570 recorded antisemitic acts in 2024 compared to 1,676 incidents in 2023, representing a decrease of almost 6%.
Despite the slight dip in incidents, 2024 stands with the preceding year as a significant outlier in the amount of antisemitic acts, with 2022 seeing 436 incidents and the previous decade high of 2014 reaching 851 incidents.
The Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France said last Wednesday on X/Twitter that France was faced with a second consecutive year of historic antisemitism numbers.
SPCJ saw a spike in incidents between May 27 and June 10, reaching 140% of the weekly average. The security organization attributed this escalation to the coinciding IDF military operation in Rafah and the European Parliament election.
SPCJ asserted that the far-left La France Insoumise party had centered the Palestinian cause in its campaign and led anti-Israel initiatives and rallies.
While there were less overall antisemitic incidents recorded by SPCJ, it identified 2024 as having the most individual antisemitic violent incidents against French Jews since recording began in 2012.
Increase in violent antisemitic incidents
There were 106 violent antisemitic incidents in 2024, compared to 85 acts of physical violence in 2023. According to these figures, this would mean that there was a 24.7% increase from 2023 to 2024. Over 10% of antisemitic incidents against individuals involved physical violence.
SPCJ noted incidents such as the August firebombing of the Beth Yaacov synagogue in La Grande-Motte, the May arson and knife attack at the Rouen Synagogue, and the June Courbevoie antisemitism-motivated gang rape of a 12-year-old girl.
The statistics may have counted the sum total of antisemitic violent incidents regardless of degree to result in the record, but French Jewry had seen significantly bloody years in its past, with the 2015 Paris Hyper Cacher massacre and the 2012 Toulouse Ozar Hatorah school massacre.
SPCJ identified anti-Israel rhetoric as a catalyst for antisemitic incidents, with at least 43 incidents each month evoking the Palestinians.
The organization said that authorities and public figures had cast Israel supporters as being “pro-genocide,” and many anti-Israel organizations had in 2024 affirmed their desire to see the destruction of Israel. Many groups had issued support for Palestinian terrorist organizations and promoted the idea of a global intifada.
Counter-antisemitism group Collectif Nous Vivrons called for more responsibility from elected officials, arguing that the SPCJ figures showed “words spoken by our politicians have direct consequences.”