To: Wayners who wrote (649590 ) 3/29/2012 11:04:50 PM From: joseffy 1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) | Respond to More Attacks on Jews in France March 28, 2012 blogs.the-american-interest.com BBC has noted, the beating of another student at a Jewish school by anti-Semitic assailants is only the most notable example:Five bullet-holes were found in a window of the Yitzhak-Rabin music school in Sarcelles, Paris, apparently aimed at a poster advertising a rally outside a synagogue A night club owner in Dijon reported receiving death threats and a demand for money by email from someone claiming to be from al-Qaeda and referring to the Merah killings Three teenage boys reportedly wrote pro-Merah graffiti on an information board opposite the great synagogue in Toulouse Obscene anti-Semitic graffiti was found on a wall in Sartrouville in the Paris area In the southern city of Nice, at least 31 Jewish graves were found desecrated on Friday, with metal Stars of David either torn off or twisted. New York Times (among other Western media outlets) continues to worry more about the possible repercussions of the attack on Muslims :The seven brutal killings carried out this month by Mr. Merah — a 23-year-old son of Toulouse, and a professed jihadi — occurred during a divisive presidential race that had already turned toward questions of immigration and Islam. Even though investigators say Mr. Merah was effectively a lone, self-radicalized extremist, his violent ideology fits closely with some French stereotypes of Islam, and Muslims here fear that the tensions brought on by the murders may prove more lasting. . . .Via Meadia agrees completely that guilt by association is both immoral and unfair. Yet the Jews are clearly the victims here, and with this recent spate of attacks it looks as though they will continue to be at risk. VM is all for attacking religious and ethnic discrimination wherever they are found, but does this really require us to put aside all thought for a small minority now facing a terrible fear? What steps are Jews taking to defend themselves in France? How worried do they feel? Has police protection of Jewish institutions been increased? How are parents explaining this to their kids? Are more French Jews thinking about emigration? What do religious leaders and police authorities say about just how prevalent this climate of hatred is? What makes it so acute in France? These are stories that people would actually read. VM can’t be alone in its curiosity about the impact of these killings on the community most at risk.
