A thousand people, including many elected officials and representatives of various religions, gathered in Montpellier to denounce antisemitism and show support for the Jewish community, three days after the arson attack on the synagogue in La Grande-Motte.
“Your presence here is a snub to the purveyors of hate,” declared Perla Danan, President of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions (Crif) for Languedoc-Roussillon, to the crowd gathered in Place de la Comédie.
“It’s a miracle that we don’t have victims to mourn, given the suspect’s intent to kill,” emphasised Elie Korchia, National President of the Consistoire Israélite de France, in Montpellier.
“When a synagogue is attacked […], it is the values of the Republic that are under attack,” he added, facing the tricolour flags waved by those in attendance.
“We need this gathering to be not just a gesture of solidarity, but a moment of reaffirming republican values,” explained Yonathan Arfi, President of CRIF.
He added: “We must face the reality of antisemitism today. It masquerades as hatred of Israel, it uses the conflict in the Middle East as a pretext. Unfortunately, antisemitism has become commonplace, and this is reflected in the statistics. In 2024, we recorded 887 antisemitic acts in the first half of the year, representing a 100% increase compared to the same period in 2023.”
“I appeal to the republican forces for our discourse to be unambiguous. We must fight antisemitism and stop the nauseating conflation with the Middle East conflict,” demanded Sabine Atlan, President of the Jewish community of La Grande-Motte, as demonstrators carried signs stating: “Our lives are worth more than the importation of the conflict.”
