Two students aged 18 and 19 have been arrested in Bordeaux after allegedly sending antisemitic messages in a WhatsApp group linked to a university residence in Pessac, in the Gironde department.
The messages were shared during the night of 11–12 November 2025 in an unofficial WhatsApp conversation bringing together residents of the Crous François Mauriac student hall.
The two young men were taken into police custody on 21 January following reports of the messages, which were described by prosecutors as containing repeated death threats and public incitement to discrimination on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality or religion.
During questioning, both students admitted to sending the messages. However, they denied their antisemitic nature, arguing that the comments stemmed from “immaturity” and were intended as “humour”, according to the Bordeaux public prosecutor’s office.
On Friday 23 January, the suspects were brought before the prosecutor as part of a fast-track judicial procedure. They were placed under judicial supervision pending their trial, which is scheduled to take place on 19 June 2026.
Prior to the judicial proceedings, both students had already been expelled from their university residence by the Crous de Bordeaux-Aquitaine. In a public statement, the organisation said it “condemns in the strongest possible terms the expression of such remarks within its residences, as well as all forms of violence and discrimination”.
The case comes amid heightened concern in France over antisemitism and racist speech, particularly in online and semi-private digital spaces used by students and young people.
