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Macron promises justice for murdered Jew after tree attack
Macron promises to find the attackers who cut down the olive tree in honor of the Jew Ilan Halimi, who was murdered in 2006. An act of anti-Semitism that mobilizes the entire nation.
Macron promises justice for murdered Jew after tree attack
French President Emmanuel Macron vowed on Friday to make every effort to find and prosecute the unknown assailants who felled an olive tree. This tree was planted in honor of the French Jew Ilan Halimi, who was murdered in 2006.
The incident
The memorial tree for Ilan Halimi, which was planted 14 years ago in the northern Paris suburb of Épinay-sur-Seine, was apparently felled with a chainsaw on Wednesday night. The community posted a photo on its Facebook page showing that the tree's leafy, bushy crown had been completely severed from the trunk, leaving only the stump sticking out of the ground.
Macron's reactions
“Cutting down the tree that honored Ilan Halimi is an attempt to kill him a second time,” Macron said on X. “It will not succeed: the nation will not forget this child of France, murdered because of his Judaism.”
He added: "All means will be used to punish this act of hatred. In the face of anti-Semitism, the Republic is always uncompromising."
About Ilan Halimi
Ilan Halimi was found naked, tied up and with burns near tracks in the Essonne region south of Paris on February 13, 2006. He died on the way to hospital after being held captive and tortured for more than three weeks. Halimi was only 23 years old. The brutal murder renewed concerns in France about anti-Semitism and caused deep unease within the Jewish community, which is the largest in Western Europe.
Political reactions
French Prime Minister François Bayrou spoke out on X, saying the olive tree “was felled by anti-Semitic hatred.”
"No crime can erase memory. The tireless fight against the deadly poison of hatred is our first duty," he wrote.
Investigations and other incidents
In a separate post, the Paris police chief condemned “this vile act” and said an investigation had been launched. “Everything will be done to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice,” he promised.
Artists' efforts intended to preserve Halimi's memory have already been desecrated in the past. In 2017, a memorial plaque was erected near Paris demolished, thrown on the ground and smeared with anti-Semitic slogans.