The manager of Parcours aérien Tyrovol, an outdoor adventure facility known for its aerial zipline course and located near Porté-Puymorens, southern France, refused entry to 150 Israelis aged 8 to 16.
The group booked its visit “a long time ago,” but the manager blocked the youngsters’ entry citing his “personal convictions.”
The manager was taken into police custody on suspicion of “discrimination based on religion in the provision of goods or services,” an offense that carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison.
“Who will be able to find the words to explain to [the children] the hatred that forbids them entry to a leisure park?” wrote Yonathan Arfi, president of CRIF, the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions.
“This act is not a critique of policy but an expression of violent hatred toward Israel, using a conflict 3,000 kilometers away as a pretext to discriminate against children,” he added. “The punishment must be exemplary.”
