Stars of David spray-painted on Paris buildings ‘recall events of 1930s’ antisemitism, says mayor

Stars of David have been daubed on buildings in Paris in a display of antisemitism that recalls the dark times of the 1930s, authorities say.

The symbols – painted in blue similar to the Israeli flag – were discovered sprayed onto buildings across parts of the French capital.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Tuesday vowed a “merciless fight” against surging antisemitism.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said antisemitism “has no place in our republic” and said police are working to track down those responsible.

However, the Paris prosecutor’s office cautioned against assuming an antisemitic motive and said it was investigating.

In a statement, the mayoralty of Paris’s 14th arrondissement said the acts “recall the events of the 1930s… which led to the extermination of millions of Jews”.

“I am crying because I am going to again feel the hatred that was there when we were children,” a tearful resident of a graffiti-tagged building who gave only her first name, Marie, told French broadcaster BFM-TV.

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Since the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October, French authorities have registered 857 antisemitic acts, the country’s interior minister Gerald Darmanin said on Tuesday.

“That’s as many acts of antisemitism in three weeks as there have been so far this year,” he said.