Three teenagers from Courbevoie, just outside Paris, allegedly took a 12-year-old girl they knew from school to an empty hangar and held her captive for hours. The victim was raped multiple times while being threatened with death. The perpetrators also made anti-Semitic remarks, such as “dirty Jew.” The next day, the girl and her parents filed a complaint with the police, leading to the identification of three suspects between the ages of 12 and 13.
One of the suspects claimed that he sought revenge because the girl had hidden her Jewish religion from him at school. Another suspect stated that they attacked the girl due to her comments about the Israeli invasion of Gaza Strip. Two of the suspects have been charged with offenses including rape, assault, attempted extortion, death threats, violence, and insults with religious motives considered aggravating circumstances.
The accusation of extortion arose from one of the perpetrators threatening to kill the girl if she went to the police and demanding that she transfer money to him. The trio is also facing charges related to violating the girl’s privacy by recording and possibly distributing images of abuse. The third suspect is accused of witnessing the incidents without intervening.
The violent attack and potential anti-Semitic motivations have sparked outrage in France, with President Emmanuel Macron calling for schools to address hate messages. Marine Le Pen blamed left-wing parties for increasing anti-Semitic incidents while French Greens emphasized addressing anti-Semitism and violence against women in society. Various anti-Semitism advocacy groups held a meeting in front of Paris City Hall to address this issue.