Jean-Marc Ayrault
Photo: Reuters
French PM vows to fight anti-Semitism
Jean-Marc Ayrault denounces attack on Jews near Lyon; says Paris will bolster efforts to protect community, impart tolerance
French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault denounced Monday the assault on three Jews in Villeurbaine, near the city of Lyon, on Sunday night.
An Interior Ministry said Sunday that 10 assailants, wielding hammers and iron bars, mobbed the three, two of whom had to be hospitalized.
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A police investigation is in progress.
Ayrault called the attack "an unbearable act of violence," adding that France would fight racism and anti-Semitism.
Funeral of the victims the anti-Semitic Toulouse massacre (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
"This attack… proves that we must constantly fight all forms of racism and anti-Semitism. We must do so using harsh measures, but also through education for tolerance."
French Interior Minister Manuel Valls also denounced the attack, calling it "a deliberate attack against the republic.
"We must allow everyone, indiscriminately, to freely and safely practice their religious beliefs," he said.
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