Son of Nazi hunters threatened over support of Israel
Arno Klarsfeld, 46, son of famed Nazi hunters Serge and Beate Klarsfeld, publically expressed his support of Israel during Operation Pillar of Defense invoking wrath of French Islamists: 'They threatened to kill me'
"I am not afraid of the threats. I might not be brave, but I'm certainly not a coward, especially after my parents' car was blown up and we received three mail bombs," Arno Klarsfeld told Yedioth Ahronot.
Klarsfeld, a lawyer and head of the French Office for Immigrant Integration, has received numerous death threats from radical Islamists groups in France.
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The reason: a few days ago Klarsfeld, son of renowned Nazi hunters Serge and Beate Klarsfeld, took part in a rally of solidarity with Israel in the wake of Operation Pillar of Defense.
At the rally, which took place outside the Israeli embassy, Klarsfeld gave a speech arguing for Israel's right to self defense in the face of radical Islam, claiming Israel was at the forefront of the international battle against such forces.
"We received phone calls and messages with curses and threats that acid will be thrown in my face and my car will be blown up. They threatened to kill me. The internet is full of abusive attacks personally aimed at me. Now, they are calling for me to be fired from my job just because I expressed support for Israel," he said.
"Arno is a true Zionist"
Arno is considered a very eligible bachelor in France and in the past dated Carla Bruni. In 2005 he was appointed to the role of then President Nicolas Sarkozy's right hand man. Sarkozy tasked Arno with the very difficult task of mitigating the damages caused by Muslim immigration to France.
Ten years ago Arno made aliyah to Israel and served in the Border Guard for a year. He holds dual French and Israeli citizenship.
His close friend, Daniel Cohen, said: "Arno is a true Zionist. He was posted to the Border Guard at a time when there were terror attacks and it was truly dangerous, putting his life at risk. He has also written a book defending Israel and actively defends Israel in every possible forum. In short, he fights for the country just like his parents."
Besides the death threats, Islamist and radical leftists have begun calling for his dismissal from the role of head of the Office for Immigrant Integration (OFII) - the office charged with dealing with illegal immigrants in France, a group that is mostly comprised of Muslims.
Those calling for his dismissal cite not only his public support of Operation Pillar of Defense, but also his service in the Border Guard.
Klarsfeld is currently on a visit in New York, and according to current assessments he will receive a security detail on the moment of his return to France.
Not far from the tree
Arno is the son of Nazi hunters Serge and Beate Klarsfeld who grew to fame through numerous struggles to track down and bring to justice Nazi war criminals.
The couple succeeded in tracking down Kurt Lischka, Alois Brunner (Eichmann's helper), Klaus Barbie and Kurt Asche, to name a few.
In 1986 they began a struggle which ended in the exposure of then Austrian President Kurt Waldheim's role in the Third Reich. In February 2012, Beate Klarsfeld was presented as Die Linke party's nominee for the German presidency.
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