The president of the University of Strasbourg condemned on Friday an anti-Semitic attack that occurred on campus, which gave rise to complaints. “I condemn with the greatest firmness the anti-Semitic attack which took place on the university campus on the night of Sunday January 28 to Monday January 29, 2024, of which I became aware on Thursday February 1,” writes the president of the university, Michel Deneken, in a press release.
“He was hit, thrown to the ground”
He explains that “three young Jewish people, including two students, were victims of a physical and verbal attack to the cries of ‘Zionist fascists’ by a group of six people. The consequences of their attack were noted by the city medicine and forensic medicine after filing a police report. Mr. Deneken explained to AFP that he spoke with one of the victims, a law student. “He was hit, thrown to the ground, it’s a very serious incident,” declared the president of the university. “This is violence that we have never experienced here.”
Since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, “we have had tags that we erased in the morning to prevent tempers from igniting. These days we have had some blockages with sometimes borderline slogans in relation to Israel, but this is the first time that we have had such serious facts,” he continued, announcing that the university would also file a complaint.
The police confirmed to AFP the filing of complaints, in particular for assault and battery. “The victims received blows but there was no hospitalization. There have not yet been any arrests. The investigation is ongoing,” said the same source.
Cries of “Zionist fascists”
In a statement released Thursday, the Union of Jewish Students of France (UEJF) explained that an UEJF activist accompanied by two other Jewish students were putting up posters calling for the release of Hamas hostages as well as the phrase “No to anti-Semitism” near the law campus when they were verbally threatened by an “anti-Zionist activist”. She returned with a group of five people who beat the three students while shouting “Zionist fascists”, indicates the UEJF, specifying that “one of the victims suffered significant bruising”.
The UEJF indicated that it would contact its lawyer, Sacha Ghozlan, to join the complaints filed by the victims. “This anti-Semitic physical attack committed in a meeting cannot go unpunished,” declared Samuel Lejoyeux, president of the UEJF in a press release. “It must also serve as a general warning: the demonization of Israel fueled by small far-left groups in universities leads to anti-Semitic violence. It is urgent to stop tolerating it.”