French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou on Friday condemned an act of “anti-Semitic hatred” after a memorial tree planted in tribute to a young French Jewish man tortured to death in 2006 had been cut down outside Paris.
“No crime can eradicate memory. The never-ending fight against the deadly poison of hatred is our primary duty,” he added.
The incident that occurred earlier in the week caused outrage in the French Jewish community after it was revealed that the olive tree, planted in 2011, in memory of Ilan Halimi, had been cut down with a chainsaw.
Herve Chevreau, the mayor of Epinay-sur-Seine, said on Thursday he had filed a complaint. “The fact that only this tree, honoring Halimi, was taken down points on the intent to desecrate the memory of a victim of antisemitism,” he said.
