“During the German occupation in World War II, the rue de Rivoli had red Nazi swastika flags flying along its entire. The headquarters of the Military Governor of Paris (Gauleiter) was situated in the Hotel Meurice on that street.It was an eerie to see swastikas back”, commented Shimon Samuels, Simon Wiesenthal Center’s international director.

The Simon Wiesenthal Centre Director for International Relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels, commended the rapid arrest of the suspect who spray-painted some 20 red swastikas on the columns of the arcades in the rue de Rivoli around the Louvre Museum in central Paris, over the week-end.

A man was taken into custody overnight from Saturday to Sunday, suspected of having tagged the swastikas. According to a source familiar with the matter, the suspect is a man born in 1989 in Georgia.

An investigation for “degradation” was entrusted to the reception and proximity investigation service (SAIP) of Paris-center, a Paris prosecutor said.

“During the German occupation in World War II, the rue de Rivoli had red Nazi swastika flags flying along its entire. The headquarters of the Military Governor of Paris (Gauleiter) was situated in the Hotel Meurice on that street.It was an eerie to see swastikas back”, commented Shimon Samuels, Simon Wiesenthal Center’s international director.

Paris Mayor, Anne Hidalgo, stated, “preventing such intolerable acts is part of our mission… cleaning teams will intervene quickly to erase all traces of these messages.”

The Centre also backed French Interior Ministe, Gerald Darmanin’s “thanks to the Police for its rapid response.”

“Now we only await a similar approach from the judiciary to refuse –  too often in recent cases – an acceptance of such behaviour on grounds of psychiatric issues or narcotic/alcohol intoxication,” concluded Samuels.