According to the public prosecutor’s office, “the motive for the attack could have been anti-Semitic”.
A Jewish woman was stabbed twice this Saturday afternoon at her home in Lyon, according to several sources. A swastika was reportedly found on her door after the attack. The victim, who is currently hospitalized, is not life-threatening. According to the public prosecutor’s office, “the motive for the attack could have been anti-Semitic.”
A investigation was opened for “attempted murder.” No arrests” had been made at this stage but the assailant is actively sought.
According to BFMTV, a swastika was found on his door after the attack by the victim’s family.
According to the same report, the attacker, dressed in black and with his face concealed, stabbed the victim twice when she opened the door after he rang the bell.
“Initial findings have led the Lyon public prosecutor’s office to open an investigation into the attempted murder charge, aggravated by the fact that the act could have been motivated by an anti-Semitic motive”, said the public prosecutor’s office on Saturday evening.
Now, incidents like these feel all too common. Across Europe, in the weeks since Hamas’ brutal attacks in Israel sparked a war between Israel and the militant group, a spate of antisemitic assaults have shaken Jewish communities.
Oskar Deutsch, head of the Jewish Community in Vienna, told CNN that Jews in the city have reported 167 incidents in just the past three weeks – a “huge” rise for a small Jewish population of around 12,000.
Since the 7th of October massacre committed by Hamas in southern Israel, antismetic incidents have increased dramatically in several countries across Europe and elsewhere in the world.
Since 2012, twelve Jews have been murdered in France by radical Islamists. Jewish leaders have accused extreme-left politicians of inciting hatred and antisemitism by supporting the Palestinians and refusing to caractherize the attacks by Hamas as terrorists. Pro-palestinian demonstrations in Paris have seen antisemitic slogans beeing shouted.
France has witnessed 35 antisemitic incidents each day since the 7th of October. Last week, stars of David were painted in several spots on building fronts in and around Paris,