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Alleged rape of 12-year-old Jewish girl sparks antisemitism outcry in France

By Niamh Kennedy, Emmanuel Miculita and Saskya Vandoorne, CNN

(CNN) — TheĀ alleged gang-rape of a 12-year-old Jewish girl in northern France has triggered an outcry over surging antisemitism in the country, a key issue in the looming French parliamentary elections this month.

Politicians from all sides have weighed in on the alleged attack, with French President Emmanuel Macron condemning a ā€œscourge of antisemitismā€Ā that he said isĀ festering in French schools, and far-right leaders placing blame on the left for failing to take anti-semitism seriously enough.

The Nanterre prosecutorā€™s office announced Wednesday that it has launched an inquiry into theĀ alleged ā€œaggravated rapeā€ of a minor, after receiving ā€œreports from a 12-year-old girlā€Ā of the incident on June 15.

Three boys, aged 12 and 13, have been taken into custody, the prosecutor also said.

Whether the girl was targeted for her religion is part of the probe, with two of the boys now being investigated forĀ aggravated gang rape of a minor, group violence against a minor for reasons of religion, death threats and insult for reasons of religion, according to the prosecutorā€™s statement.

The third boyĀ has beenĀ placed under ā€œassisted witnessā€ status in relation to the alleged rape, the prosecutor added.

The alleged attack took place as the girl tried to return home after meeting a friend. Two boysĀ approached her and attempted to block her path outside her house. After a third boyĀ arrived,Ā the group began to physically attack the girl, hurling antisemitic insults at her, BFMTV reported,Ā citing police sources.

The girl received several death threats and one of the boys called herĀ a ā€œdirty Jew,ā€ according to the account reported by BFMTV.

Antisemitic incidents have increased by 284% in France between 2022 and 2023, according to data from the French interior ministry. In 2023, antisemitic acts constituted 60% of all anti-religious acts, compared to 26% in 2022, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told the French Senate earlier this year.

Growing fears of an antisemitism problem

The incident has sparked an intense political debate on what politicians have described as a spiralingĀ antisemitism problem in FranceĀ linked to Israelā€™s war in Gaza.

On Wednesday,Ā Jordan Bardella, the far-right firebrand hoping to score big wins for his National Rally party in the upcoming elections, pledged to tackle antisemitism if elected in three weeksā€™ time. ā€œSince October 7, an atmosphere of anti-Semitism has spread and developed in an extremely worrying manner in our country, which we must combat,ā€ Bardella told reporters.

Bardellaā€™s party colleague and far-right juggernaut, Marine Le Pen said in a post on X that the attack revolted members of her party, highlighting the uptick in antisemitic incidents across the country.

Le Pen said the recent surge in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war reveals a worrying ā€œstigmatizationā€ of Jewish people which ā€œeveryone should be fully aware ofā€ when hitting the ballot boxes on June 30 and July 7.

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal meanwhile described the incident as a ā€œdespicableā€ and took direct aim at his left-wing political opponent, Jean-Luc Melenchon, whom he accused of previously downplaying the severity of antisemitism in France by describing it as a ā€œresidualā€ issue.

Politicians in France have a ā€œresponsibilityā€ to ensure that antisemitic rhetoric does not become ā€œtrivialized,ā€ Attal said in an interview with TF1 Info Wednesday, warning that if trivialized it can lead young people in particular to ā€œthe worst.ā€

Melenchon for his part said he was ā€œhorrified by this rape,ā€ saying in a social media post that ā€œit put under a concerning spotlight the conditioning of criminal male behavior from a young age, and antisemitic racism.ā€

Voter anger over the issue appeared clear on Wednesday, as demonstrators gathered outside Parisā€™s city hall on, according to reporting from BFMTV.

Protesters carried placards with slogans such as ā€œRaped at 12 because she was Jewish,ā€ and ā€œAnti-Semitism is not residual,ā€ and listened to speeches from Jewish rights activists in attendance.

ā€œAll light must be shed on the circumstances of this crime, including its anti-Semitic nature, if this is confirmed,ā€ the main Jewish interest group in France, the Conseil reprĆ©sentatif des institutions juives de France (CRIF) said.

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the number of boys under investigation for alleged gang-rape.

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