2 synagogues in northern France vandalized
Synagogues in cities of Lille, Mulhouse struck as vandals spray hateful graffiti on buildings' walls
Two synagogues in France have been vandalized, one with a swastika scrawled on it, a Jewish organization said Wednesday, in what some observers believe to be a result of tensions over the fighting in the Gaza Strip.
The Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France, or CRIF said synagogues in the northern city of Lille and Mulhouse, in eastern France, were struck.
In Lille, the vandals scrawled graffiti including a swastika on the synagogue's facade and shattered a window. In Mulhouse, the vandals wrote "hateful slogans" on the synagogue, the group said in a statement. It did not provide further details.
The administration for the Nord region said the vandals struck the synagogue in Lille on Tuesday evening. An investigation has been opened but no one has been detained.
France has Western Europe's largest Jewish and Muslim communities, and a history of ethnic tension when hostilities in the Middle East are high. The country has seen a spate of incidents like Tuesday's since the start more than two weeks ago of Israel's military action in the Gaza Strip.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy promised a policy of "zero tolerance" against those who commit anti-Semitic or anti-Muslim crimes.
