Vandals have defaced more than 100 graves with swastikas in a Jewish cemetery in eastern France. The interior minister condemned the “heinous acts” — the latest in a string of antisemitic incidents in the Alsace region.
Authorities in eastern France said they had discovered 107 tombs spray-painted with swastikas and antisemitic slogans in a Jewish graveyard near the German border.
The vandalism in the town of Westhoffen, west of the city of Strasbourg, was discovered hours after a similar attack on another Jewish cemetery in the nearby village of Schaffhouse-sur-Zorn.
French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner condemned the “heinous acts” on Twitter, adding that everything was being done to ensure the vandals are brought to justice.
Police are investigating, while local authorities said they were working to make sure such attacks don’t happen again.
The Alsace region has witnessed a series of racist and antisemitic incidents in recent months that have triggered a national debate about intolerance in France, home to Europe’s largest Jewish community.
