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Antisemitic graffiti on a house in the historic center of Lyon in France. Photo: Twitter.
French politicians warned against a resurgence of the far right on Tuesday after a house in the historic center of the city of Lyon was defaced with antisemitic graffiti sprayed in a lurid orange color.
Eyewitnesses said the offending messages were “still fresh” at 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning. One message read “Heil Hitler,” while the other read “Juden” — the German word for Jews.
The League Against Racism and Antisemitism (LICRA) — a leading French NGO — said in response that it would be taking the matter to court.
“Neo-Nazis are enemies of the Republic and its values,” LICRA declared on Twitter. “They must be fought as such with all means of law.”
La @_LICRA_ saisit la justice. Les néo-nazis sont des ennemis de la République et de ses valeurs. Ils doivent être combattus comme tels avec tous les moyens du droit. Force doit rester à la loi et à l’ordre républicain. @Gregorydoucet https://t.co/cQ7nC2hwJY
— Licra (@_LICRA_) August 18, 2020
LICRA’s announcement received immediate support from Thomas Rudigoz, who represents the area in the French parliament.
“Racist and antisemitic acts are on the increase,” Rudigoz cautioned. “We must all — the government, the City of Lyon, the National Assembly — fight against fascism and the far right.”
Lyon has been the location of several antisemitic and racist outrages this year.
At the end of June, campaign posters promoting David Kimelfeld, an election candidate for the Lyon city government, were vandalized with antisemitic symbols.
The Muslim community in the city has also been targeted in recent weeks. In July, a Muslim-owned fast food restaurant was vandalized with racist slogans that included “Death to the Arabs,” while last week, two separate mosques in Lyon were subjected to arson attacks.