In the latest attack in a string of anti-Semitic incidents in Paris, a young Jewish teen was violently assaulted outside of the Buttes Chaumont Park on Friday, May 15.
The 16-year-old boy, who was wearing a Kippa (skullcap) at the time, was attacked while returning to his home to prepare for Shabbat dinner.
According to French news service JSS, he was then approached by four men, which the report described as looking North African and between the ages of 17-20. The men robbed him, took his shoes, and shattered his phone into the ground.
During the assault, two of the attackers held the victim down while a third repeatedly delivered blows to his body and head, injuring one of his eyes severely.
According to a witness, another man – also described as North African – approached the group, but instead of helping the victim proceeded to verbally assault him by calling him a “coward,” and then advised the attackers to “break” the teen.
The attackers fled when a witness called the police. A report was filed with the police at the scene.
The Bureau National de Vigilance Contre L’Antisemitisme (BNVCA), which monitors anti-Semitic attacks in France, has publicly pledged to help the victim and his family, and has asked the police to make every effort to identify, question, and detain the attackers.
The Buttes Chaumont district is home to many Jewish families, and has recently been targeted on numerous occasions, including attacks on Jewish businesses, and a recent shocking attack on a Jewish mother by three assailants of African origin.
The perpetrators of those crimes have yet to be found.
