A Holocaust memorial in Lyon, unveiled in January to mark the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz's liberation, was inscribed with the words Free Gaza. The words were scratched into the black marble memorial outside the city station from where hundreds of Jews were transported to Nazi death camps. Yonathan Arfi of the Council of French Jewish Institutions called the incident despicable. Mayor Gregory Doucet described the defacement as intolerable, vowed that perpetrators would be pursued and prosecuted, and said Lyon stands firm against hatred, antisemitism and racism. National figures show a complex pattern of increases since October 2023, and the government has increased security and engaged diplomatically in response.
Doucet said the defacement of the 3-metre-tall memorial, outside the city station from where hundreds of Jews were transported to Nazi death camps, was intolerable and the perpetrators would be pursued and prosecuted. Lyon continues to stand firm against hatred, antisemitism and racism, the mayor said. The memorial was unveiled in January to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
The number of antisemitic incidents recorded in France has risen sharply since the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the start of Israel's retaliatory offensive, which has killed at least 63,000 Palestinians, according to figures from the territory's health ministry. The French interior ministry said last week that 27% fewer anti-Jewish acts were recorded in France in the first six months of 2025 than in the same period the previous year,
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