France has stepped up police patrols around Jewish sites following the deadly shooting of two Israeli embassy staff in Washington. The attack is being treated as an anti-Semitic terror act. At the same time, Paris has sharply rejected Israeli claims that European governments are encouraging anti-Israeli violence.
France’s interior minister told police on Thursday to "step up surveillance at sites linked to the Jewish community" after a gunman killed two Israeli embassy staff in the US capital on Wednesday.
Security measures must be "visible and dissuasive", Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said in a message sent to prefects. He called for more patrols around synagogues, schools, shops and media and cultural events.
Police and gendarmes were stationed in front of the Israeli embassy in Paris on Friday morning.
Representatives of France’s Jewish community, the largest in Europe, welcomed the measures.
"We've noticed an increase in patrols and law enforcement officers. There is a great deal of concern", said Benjamin Allouche, head of security at the Crif – the umbrella body for Jewish institutions in France – speaking to FranceInfo.
Retailleau also called for "extreme vigilance" during upcoming Jewish holidays in France.
Interior Minister Retailleau calls for 'extreme vigilance' during Jewish holidays in France
Israel-France tensions
The shooting took place during an annual reception organised by the American Jewish Committee for young Jewish professionals and diplomats in Washington.
The suspect, Luis Rodriguez, was born in Chicago and has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
Washington is treating the crime as an anti-Semitic terror attack after Rodriguez shouted "free Palestine" in reference to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The conflict has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Thursday described the killings as "an abhorrent act of antisemitic barbarity”, while President Emmanuel Macron condemned what he called an "anti-Semitic attack".
France pressures Israel to resume full humanitarian aid to Gaza
Tensions between Israel and France rose further on Thursday when Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused European governments of inciting anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli violence.
France rejected the accusation. "These are completely outrageous and completely unjustified remarks," foreign ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine said.
"France has condemned, France condemns and France will continue to condemn, always and unequivocally, any act of anti-Semitism."
Jewish communities in France have been on alert for months due to a rise in attacks and desecration of memorials since the Gaza war began on 7 October 2023, when Hamas launched a terror attack on Israel.
France’s interior ministry recorded 1,570 anti-Semitic incidents so far in 2024 – a number similar to the previous year.
