The volume of such incidents has tripled compared with the same period in 2023. ‘This wave of anti-Semitism is undeniable’, said the Head of State at the 38th annual dinner of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (Crif).

Gabriel Attal, the Prime Minister, reported at the 38th annual dinner of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (Crif) that 366 anti-Semitic acts were recorded in the first quarter of 2024, marking a 300% increase on the same period the previous year. He described this sharp rise as an ‘anti-Semitic tidal wave’. He also pointed out that although French Jews represent only 1% of the French population, more than 60% of anti-religious acts are anti-Semitic.

Earlier in the day, the government had launched the ‘Assises de lutte contre l’antisémitisme’ in response to this growing concern within the Jewish community. According to data from the Ministry of the Interior, the number of anti-Semitic acts reported in France almost quadrupled last year, rising from 436 in 2022 to 1,676 in 2023. Aurore Bergé, Minister Delegate for the Fight against Discrimination, noted that since 7 October (the date of the Hamas attack on Israel), anti-Semitic acts have exploded, attributing this trend to the spread of ‘ordinary hatred’ fuelled by extremes, both on social networks and in public spaces. Yonathan Arfi, Chairman of Crif, emphasised the importance of this conference in mobilising civil society under the aegis of public action.