President Emmanuel Macron vows to find “terrorist” responsible for the flame that broke out outside Beth Yaacov synagogue in France on Saturday morning after a car exploded in front of the building, according to French officials.
Police were hunting for a suspect and the anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office was put in charge of the investigation, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said.
“This is an antisemitic attack. Once more, our Jewish compatriots are targeted,” Attal said on X, adding: “We won’t give up. In the face of anti-Semitism, in the face of violence, we will never allow ourselves to be intimidated.”
BREAKING: At least two cars, one of which contained a gas cylinder, were set on fire this Saturday morning in front of the synagogue in La Grande-Motte, France, causing an explosion and injuring a police officer. pic.twitter.com/9QkL0kbuip
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) August 24, 2024
The car explosion caused a second car to catch fire and the flames spread to the synagogue’s front doors. Firefighters are currently tackling four flames, according to France3.
France’s Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, claimed the incident was an arson attack.
Une tentative d’incendie, manifestement criminelle, a touché la synagogue de la Grande Motte ce matin. Je veux assurer nos concitoyens juifs et la commune de tout mon soutien et dire qu’à la demande du Président de la République @EmmanuelMacron, tous les moyens sont mobilisés…
— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) August 24, 2024
“An attempted arson attack, clearly criminal, hit the synagogue of La Grande Motte this morning. I want to assure our Jewish fellow citizens and the municipality of my full support and say that at the request of the President of the Republic @EmmanuelMacron, all means are being mobilized to find the perpetrator,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“Everything is being done to find the perpetrator of this terrorist act and to protect places of worship,” French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X on Saturday midday.
Pensées pour les fidèles de la synagogue de la Grande-Motte et tous les Juifs de notre pays. Tout est fait pour retrouver l’auteur de cet acte terroriste et protéger les lieux de culte.La lutte contre l’antisémitisme est un combat de chaque instant, celui de la Nation unie.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 24, 2024
He also expressed his sympathies with the Jews community, writing, “Thoughts are with the members of the synagogue… and all the Jews in our country.” He finished his post stating, “The fight against antisemitism is an ongoing battle, one that the entire nation must undertake together.”
Officer wounded in the attack
A French police officer was injured on Saturday when a blazing car exploded in the car park of a synagogue in the coastal town of La Grande-Motte, a police union representative said, and police said they were treating the incident as attempted arson.
“A car exploded in front of the synagogue in @lagrandemotte. A local police official was injured,” William Maury, of police union Alliance Police Nationale, said on X. He told BFM TV the police officer’s life was not in danger.
Local media said two cars had been on fire, one of which contained at least one gas canister.
Jewish community reactions
Yonathan Arfi, the president of France’s Representative Council of Jewish Institutions (CRIF), wrote on X in response to the attack “The desire to kill Jews. Exploding a gas canister in a car in front of the synagogue in La Grande Motte at the expected time of arrival of worshipers: this is not just attacking a place of worship, it is an act to try to kill Jews.
“This is antisemitism in France. But the French Jews will not back down.”
La volonté de tuer des Juifs.Faire exploser une bonbonne de gaz dans une voiture devant la synagogue de la Grande Motte à l’heure d’arrivée prévisible de fidèles : ce n’est pas que s’en prendre à un lieu de culte, c’est un passage à l’acte pour tenter de tuer des Juifs. Voilà…
— Yonathan Arfi (@Yonathan_Arfi) August 24, 2024
He also sent his well wishes to the officer wounded in the explosion.
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