Paris wakes up to “fear and shame”: homes and shops stained with the Star of David | outside

“I woke up feeling ashamed this morning,” a resident of the 14th district told Le Parisien newspaper. “This is not graffiti, it is an insult to history, democracy and the republic.”

“I reported it to the police as soon as I saw the graffiti,” says Elizabeth, another local resident. “It happened at night, I think. It’s very disturbing. With everything we hear, it’s very scary, and I’m not Jewish, I’m Portuguese and I’m not religious to be honest. And yet it touches me deeply.”

The local mayor, Karen Beatty, says there is fear in her area. “Antisemitism is on our streets as in the darkest hours. “The perpetrators must be identified and convicted,” she wrote on X. “This labeling process is reminiscent of the methods used in the 1930s and World War II that led to the extermination of millions of Jews.”

The situation is similar in the 13th and 15th arrondissements, where the same symbol is placed on many buildings. “We will file a complaint immediately and hope that the perpetrators will be severely punished,” said Anthony Samama, deputy mayor of the 15th district.

To the north of the capital, Eric LeGondre, mayor of the 18th arrondissement, also received “several reports of the Star of David being applied to stenciled buildings.” He stressed that “everything necessary has been done to remove them,” while also “strongly” condemning these actions.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who is currently abroad, said that “following these despicable acts,” the city called on the public prosecutor to identify, prosecute and convict the perpetrators.

According to data from the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office, about sixty Stars of David were found in the 14th arrondissement alone, and many more elsewhere in the French capital. An investigation has been opened.