In the wake of anti-Semitic violence that accompanied recent anti-Israel protests, France has banned upcoming pro-Palestinian marches.
French authorities are forbidding pro-Palestinian protests in some cities after violence marred a recent march against the violence in Gaza, as Jewish-Muslim tensions in France have reached their highest level in years.
After several thousand pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched peacefully Sunday through Paris, clashes broke out among small groups, including some who attacked synagogues, Jewish stores and neighborhoods.
Roger Cukierman, head of France’s leading Jewish organization, CRIF, told AP that there’s been a change in the tenor of the anti-Israel protests in recent years: “We heard death to Israelis. Now we hear death to Jews.”
Headlines from the Middle Ages: "Hundreds trapped in synagogue as Paris protest turns violent" http://t.co/JdcthiKzt9
— (((Yair Rosenberg))) (@Yair_Rosenberg) July 13, 2014
JTA reported that a Paris synagogue was firebombed Friday night.
Over 400 French Jews were scheduled to emigrate to Israel this week, with 60 of them planning to settle in Ashdod and Ashkelon, cities frequently targeted by Hamas rocket fire.
Other anti-Israel protests turned ugly or violent this week in Germany, Boston, Los Angeles and Seattle.
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