Stars of David Tags: From the Anti-Semitic Threat to “Russian Interference,” What We Know

Investigators are now considering the possibility of destabilization coming from Russia, in the case of anti-Semitic tags discovered at the airport. Paris and nearby suburbs. The alleged sponsor was identified. It would be a Moldovan in his fifties.

Since the discovery of blue Stars of David, tagged on the facades of buildings in the Paris and its inner suburbs, investigators are making progress. They are now on the trail of an attempted Russian interference. À Saint-Ouen, Saint-Denis and Aubervilliers, these graffiti with an anti-Semitic overtone appeared between Sunday October 29 and Monday October 30. In the 14th arrondissement of the capital, around sixty Stars of David were removed. tagged during the night of Monday October 30 to Tuesday October 31. The first arrest concerned an elderly Moldovan couple around thirty years old. These latter were seen tagging these Stars of David on buildings, then were killed. placed in custody view. During interrogation, they claimed that this was an order coming from Russia, for which they would have around 50 euros per person, according to information from Europe 1. These two people, in an irregular situation, were arrested. placed in a detention center. Since then, investigators have identified another couple at using video surveillance cameras. These two people left France before being able to be arrested. For the police, these two cases are linked and support the theory of an attempt to destabilize Russia. "Regarding the facts themselves, the ongoing judicial investigation will have to establish the possible responsibility of the perpetrator. “from a foreign sponsor”, said the Ministry of Justice.

The alleged sponsor of the attack was identified

The alleged sponsor has also been identified, to with the help of the operation of the telephones of the first couple: it would be Anatoli Prizenko, a businessman in his fifties years, also of Moldovan origin. His sole aim was to inspire and support the Jews of Europe, according to BFMTV. This man would be part of a pro-Russian independence movement and would campaign for a Eurasian customs union. On Thursday, November 9, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned "firmly" the role of Moscow in "artificial amplification and the first dissemination on social networks of photos of tags representing stars of David." Russia defended itself by saying that these suspicions were "stupid" and "unworthy".  

Either way, these tags are reminiscent of the dark past of the world. of Europe. Almost a century ago, in the 1930s, Nazi Germany marked the businesses and houses belonging to its owners. community members Jewish origin of these famous stars five branches. Tags that also appeared in a particular context. Indeed, while the war between Israel and Hamas continues, the French authorities, as well as the community Jews of France, fear more than ever an export of the conflict to France. Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, more than 1,040 anti-Semitic acts have been committed. committed in France, and 486 people were arrested, according to the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin. "The number of anti-Semitic acts has exploded," he stressed. 

"Methods from the 1930s"

For their part, the political figures of the different cities quickly denounced the attack. "vile acts" and condemned these tags “with the greatest firmness”, as clearly stated by the mayor of Aubervilliers, Karine Franclet. "The perpetrators must be prosecuted and punished by the courts with the greatest severity. and with intransigence”, also estimated the town of Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine.

“Anti-Semitism has no place in our Republic”, recalled Tuesday the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo. And the Union of Jewish Students of France denounced: "Some want to terrorize Jewish French people by using the methods of the 1930s, they must be quickly found and severely punished."