After a heated debate, the French city of Strasbourg adopts an “action plan” to fight against anti-Semitism
The municipal councilors of the French city of Strasbourg agreed on an “action plan” to fight anti-Semitism, following a heated debate which lasted until the early hours of Tuesday. However, the agreed text leaves out any reference to anti-Zionism as a form of anti-Semitism – the source of the initial controversy in March, when an attempt by council members to gain approval from the city of the definition of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) anti-Semitism has failed.
The latest resolution – proposed by the mayor of the city’s Green Party, Jeanne Barseghian, and supported by 46 of the 65 councilors – affirmed that Strasbourg was “fully engaged in the fight against anti-Semitism and all forms of discrimination”.
While the text adopted the definition of anti-Semitism offered by IHRA – essentially, a negative perception of Jews expressed through rhetorical and physical hostility – he notably ignored the many examples that accompany the definition, some of which describe how attacks on Zionism or the State of Israel can incorporate anti-Semitic tropes .
However, the resolution “strongly condemned all anti-Semitic prejudice, discrimination and violence based on a real or perceived connection to Israel, including those which have taken the form of new expression through denial of the very existence of the State of Israel ”.
Strasbourg has not been spared by the alarming rise in anti-Semitism recorded elsewhere in France. Among the incidents of the past year was an assault in August 2020 against a young Jewish graffiti artist who was working on a project commissioned by the city council. After his attacker spotted him wearing a T-shirt bearing the names of several cities around the world, including Tel Aviv in Israel, the artist was pushed around and showered with anti-Semitic abuse. The assailant then grabbed one of his paint cans and sprayed offensive slogans on the ground, including “forbidden to Jews” and “bitch.”
At a hearing in November 2020, the assailant – identified only as a 38-year-old man – was cleared of the crime of extortion aggravated by religious hatred and released.
Meanwhile, in January this year, two drivers working for the Deliveroo food delivery service in Strasbourg refused to serve Jewish customers.
The ninth largest city in France, Strasbourg is an important political and diplomatic center. One of the four capitals of the European Union, the city is home to the European Parliament and the EU Ombudsman’s office, as well as the headquarters of the Council of Europe, a human rights organization made up of from 47 Member States.