A resort manager in southwestern France was arrested on Thursday after barring a group of 150 Israeli children aged 8 to 16 from entering his facility, despite their prior bookings. The incident, reported by French media, took place in Porte-Puymorens, near the France-Spain-Andorra border triangle.
The 52-year-old manager, whose name was not disclosed, cited “personal principles” for the refusal and now faces charges of “refusing service or conducting a transaction based on religious discrimination.”
Investigators from Perpignan police detained him, noting he has no prior criminal record, with a maximum penalty of three years in prison. The Israeli tourists were safely relocated by police to another site, though they required three buses to reach it and an investigation into the manager’s actions has begun.
Anti-Israel incidents spread across Europe
The incident wasn’t isolated. In the Netherlands, the Jewish-Dutch outlet Jonet reported that two Israeli visitors were violently attacked at the De Kampervoorn water park, sustaining injuries that led to their evacuation from their cabin to a hospital in Eindhoven. Earlier this week, anti-Israel activists secretly filmed Israeli vacationers in the country.
“Israelis are again attacked in the Netherlands. We’re monitoring the case and addressing it through our Hague embassy,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “Israel urges the Dutch government to act firmly, prevent further attacks on Israelis, identify the perpetrators and prosecute them.”
Meanwhile, in Austria, pro-Palestinian activists stormed the public broadcaster ORF building in Vienna to protest its Gaza war coverage, spraying anti-channel graffiti on the ground and claiming “involvement in Israel’s genocide.”
Pro-Palestinian activists vandalize Austrian broadcasting channel
Demonstrators vandalized the site, entered the newsroom and tossed leaflets, with one woman shouting, “You’re all responsible for the genocide in Gaza!” Local media reported police dispersed the protest, escorted activists out and arrested six.
ORF rejected bias allegations, saying in a press release, “We’re committed to journalistic objectivity, reporting the Gaza conflict in a balanced manner.”