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France: Antisemitic Acts On Rise
A Jewish group claims that anti-Semitic aggression rose strongly in France in 2006, including a rise of 45 percent in violent incidents.
The Representative Council of Jewish Institutes in France (Crif) said that the torture and murder of young Jewish Parisian Ilan Halimi at the beginning of 2006 was followed by a sharp rise in violence against Jews, which it interprets as copycat attacks.
The report continues, adding that the war between Israel and Hezbollah in July 2006 set the scene for more aggression, both verbal and physical, in the summer months.
The trouble continued through September and October, "festival months" when the Jewish community is more visible and easily targeted.
Crif claims that anti-Semitic insults and violence have become a "constant background noise" for Jews in France.
It notes however, that violence fell sharply in December and continued to do so in January of this year.
