A French court on Thursday convicted a 55-year-old man of murdering his 89-year-old Jewish neighbor in Lyon in 2022 but dismissed the charge that the killing was motivated by antisemitism, a decision that has sparked strong criticism from Jewish organizations and legal advocates.
Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of 20 years in prison.
The defendant, Rachid Hanich, was acquitted of aggravated murder on antisemitic grounds. The court also rejected the claim that the killing was carried out because of the victim’s religion. In its ruling, the court said no direct link had been proven between the act and a religious or ideological motive.
According to French media reports, the court declined to consider the defendant’s past record of antisemitic remarks and social media posts that spread hatred and conspiracy theories targeting Jews and Israelis. The presiding judge ruled that this behavior was not directly connected to the murder itself.
The judge noted that immediately after pushing René Hajaj to his death, Hanich took an identification document and a page written in Hebrew that he found in the victim’s coat pocket inside the apartment and cut them up. “Had he thrown away the religious books and other Jewish objects and symbols found in the apartment,” the judge said, “this might have constituted evidence.” However, she added, “that is not what happened.”
“I am not antisemitic,” Hanich claimed during the trial, insisting that he had been on friendly terms with the victim. He struggled to explain his actions and referred to an illness diagnosed during his detention. One expert witness testified that Hanich suffered from “paranoid psychosis,” while others cited a “severe personality disorder,” all noting symptoms of paranoia and persecution.
Alain Jakubowicz, a lawyer representing the International League Against Racism and Antisemitism (LICRA) and the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF), both civil parties in the case, argued that the defendant was “obsessed with Judaism” and said ignoring the ideological background of the act undermines efforts to combat antisemitism.
Muriel Ocknin-Malki, the attorney for the victim’s family, told AFP that the ruling “reflects our society.” She added, “It is a reflection of how France is dealing with the scourge of antisemitism.”
René Hajaj, an 89-year-old Jewish man, was killed in May 2022 after being pushed from the 17th floor of his apartment building in Lyon by his neighbor. While authorities initially investigated the possibility of an antisemitic motive, police later concluded that the killing stemmed from a dispute between the two men and was not linked to the victim’s Jewish identity.