This offense carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment and a fine of €75,000.

Accused of refusing entry to a group of 150 young Israeli vacationers on Thursday, the manager of a leisure park in the Pyrénées-Orientales region, in southwestern France,  was charged with “discrimination based on origin, ethnicity, or nationality, refusal of goods or services in a place open to the public, or prohibiting access,”, the Perpignan public prosecutor’s office announced.

The group of 150 young Israeli vacationers, aged 8 to 16, were denied access to the park located in Porté-Puymorens  “even though a reservation had been made well in advance.”

This offense carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment and a fine of €75,000.

The 52-year-old manager, Florian S., has no criminal record. He was not “the subject of any negative reports.”  He  confirmed the statements he had made in police custody, explaining that his refusal to welcome the group of young Israeli tourists was not related to ideological considerations and citing security reasons,” the prosecutor’s office said.

Following these events, an investigation was launched by the police. The group of vacationers had to change their plans and ended up traveling by bus to another site in France where security is provided by the gendarmerie.

In a statement, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau reacted to this anti-Semitic act. “Who would have imagined, just a few years ago, that in France young people could be turned away from a leisure park because of their religion,” he declared.