The Bobigny criminal court has handed down its verdict in the case of Ilan Halimi’s olive tree.
Twin brothers were sentenced for felling the tree in mid-August 2025, which had been planted in memory of the young Jewish man who was tortured to death in 2006.
One brother received eight months’ imprisonment, while the other was given eight months suspended.
The men were found guilty of aggravated destruction of property.
The tree was felled during the night of 13–14 August, sparking widespread outrage across the political spectrum. The olive tree had been planted in 2011 in the Alcobendas Garden in Épinay-sur-Seine, in memory of Halimi, whose first name means ‘tree’ in Hebrew.
The brothers were arrested a few days after the incident. Investigators found that their phones had been in the park on the night of the felling, and their DNA was discovered around the cut trunk.
This is not the first act of vandalism against trees planted in Halimi’s memory. In 2019, two other trees were sawed down in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, one of which displayed his photograph. New trees have since been replanted, including last September in Épinay-sur-Seine, demonstrating a continued commitment to preserving the memory of this victim of antisemitic violence.
