This archive report was first published on 4 December 2019.
December 4, 2019, marked a somber day for France as a Jewish cemetery in Westhoffen, a town about 25 kilometers west of Strasbourg in the Alsace region, was desecrated with Nazi insignia and anti-Semitic graffiti.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner visited the cemetery, which dates back to the 16th century, and announced the creation of a new office within the gendarmerie to investigate and coordinate efforts to combat anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, and anti-Christian acts.
"The Republic itself has been desecrated," Castaner said, emphasizing the need to bring the perpetrators to justice. "Hatred has struck, there is hatred on our national territory."
"The Republic itself has been desecrated," Castaner said after visiting the cemetery, which dates from the 16th century. "Hatred has struck, there is hatred on our national territory." President Emmanuel Macron also weighed in, tweeting, "Jews are and make France. Those who attack them, even their graves, are not worthy of the idea we have of France." "Jews are and make France," President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter Tuesday. "Those who attack them, even their graves, are not worthy of the idea we have of France." The Westhoffen cemetery is home to the graves of notable figures, including Karl Marx and Leon Blum, France's former socialist prime minister. The incident has sparked widespread outrage, particularly in light of a recent surge in anti-Semitic incidents in the country. According to reports, anti-Jewish offenses have increased by 74 percent in 2018 compared to the previous year, causing alarm among the French government and citizens. The government has vowed to take action to combat this rising trend.
