Teenagers Jailed for Gang Rape, Fueling Anti-Semitic Outrage

The sentencing of two Muslim teenagers for the gang rape of a Jewish girl has ignited outrage and highlighted rising anti-Semitism. The attackers, both 13, reportedly made death threats and anti-Semitic remarks, escalating the severity of the crime and its impact on the community.

The Crime and the Sentence

In a juvenile court in Nanterre, Paris, a closed-door trial heard how the incident unfolded. Three boys, including the two now jailed, assaulted the 12-year-old girl near a park. They took her to an abandoned building in the La Défense district, where they beat and raped her.

The victim testified that her attackers called her a “dirty Jew” while questioning her about her religion and the nation of Israel. One of the perpetrators filmed the assault, and another threatened the girl’s life if she told the authorities.

The court sentenced the two boys to nine and seven years in prison, respectively, for “gang rape, death threats, and insults and violence of an anti-Semitic nature.” The judge cited the boys’ “worrying” personalities, the social disturbance, and the religious aspect of the crime as reasons for the harsh sentences. The judge stated she “would not have been raped if she had not been Jewish.”

Complicity and Aftermath

A third boy, who was also 12 years old at the time of the attack, was found culpable but was not sentenced to time in jail due to French law. The court has ordered that he be placed in foster care and supervised by professionals for five years.

According to reports, this third boy filmed the rape and sent the video to the victim’s boyfriend with a message. Investigators also discovered anti-Semitic messages and images on the victim’s phone.

Community Response and Rising Anti-Semitism

The attack triggered widespread condemnation from the Jewish community in France and was unanimously denounced by politicians. Demonstrations in support of the victim occurred in Paris and Courbevoie, drawing hundreds into the streets to protest.

In 2023, the interior ministry reported a significant increase in anti-Semitic acts in France, rising from 436 in 2022 to 1,676. Jewish groups have observed a sharp rise in such attacks since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, followed by Israel’s actions in Gaza.

President Emmanuel Macron had previously denounced anti-Semitism as a “scourge.”