2014 Sarcelles riots
{{Short description|2014 antisemitic riots in Sarcelles, France}}
{{Infobox civilian attack
| title = 2014 Sarcelles riots
| image =
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| map = Sarcelles_map.png
| map_size =
| map_alt = Sarcelles, France
| map_caption =
| location = Sarcelles, France
| target = Jewish-owned businesses and a synagogue
| coordinates =
| date = {{start date|2014|7|20}}
| time =
| timezone =
| type = Riot
| fatalities =
| injuries =
| victims =
| perpetrators=
| motive = Anger against Israeli actions in Gaza}}
On Sunday, 20 July 2014, a pro-Palestinian protest against the Israeli ground invasion of Gaza degenerated into an antisemitic riot in Sarcelles, France. An illegal demonstration gathered about 500 persons (the police{{cite web|url=http://www.atlantico.fr/decryptage/manifestations-pro-palestiniennes-qui-derapent-que-revelent-compte-rendu-police-qui-est-reellement-passe-barbes-et-sarcelles-1674894.html|title=Ce que révèlent les comptes-rendus de la police sur ce qui s'est réellement passé à Barbès et à Sarcelles|publisher=|accessdate=10 August 2017}} and organisers{{cite web|url=https://www.ensemble-fdg.org/content/gaza-aprs-le-rassemblement-de-sarcelles-communiqu-densemble-val-doise|title=Gaza. Après le rassemblement de Sarcelles, communiqué d'Ensemble Val d'Oise.|date=21 July 2014|publisher=|accessdate=10 August 2017|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304001528/https://www.ensemble-fdg.org/content/gaza-aprs-le-rassemblement-de-sarcelles-communiqu-densemble-val-doise|url-status=usurped}} having similar figures), without incident, but the riots broke out quickly after the dispersion of the demonstration, starting with 50 protesters provoking the police and eventually involving up 300 people according to the report of the riot police. Jewish-owned businesses and non-Jewish owned businesses were attacked and looted by local youths armed with metal bars and wooden clubs. Members of La Ligue de défense juive (LDJ, Jewish Defense League) were present in Sarcelles, and attempted to defend a synagogue by forming a line in front of it and holding motor-cycle helmets as weapons. Palestinian groups accused the League of provoking the attack by taunting demonstrators and throwing projectiles.{{cite news|last1=Bilefsky|first1=Dan|title=A Militant Jewish Group Confronts Pro-Palestinian Protesters in France|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/07/world/europe/militant-jewish-group-confronts-protesters-in-a-tense-france.html?_r=|accessdate=12 August 2015|work=The New York Times|date=6 August 2014|quote="...French offshoot of the Jewish Defense League, a far-right Zionist group..."}}
Background
=Pro-Palestinian demonstrations=
{{POV section|date=June 2017}}
The Operation Protective Edge created a lot of emotions in France, in particular within the French population of Arab descent. This social composition of the pro-Palestinian is both put forward by radical-left and post-colonial groups{{cite web|url=http://indigenes-republique.fr/generation-gaza-2014-enjeux-et-strategies/|title=Génération Gaza 2014 : enjeux et stratégies|date=9 October 2014|publisher=|accessdate=10 August 2017}} and by right-wing medias,{{cite web|url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/vox/politique/2014/07/22/31001-20140722ARTFIG00338-haziza-on-a-trop-longtemps-fait-preuve-d-impunite-face-a-l-antisemitisme-des-quartiers.php|title=Haziza : "On a fait preuve de trop de laxisme envers l'antisémitisme des quartiers"|first=Frédéric|last=Haziza|date=22 July 2014|publisher=|accessdate=10 August 2017|via=Le Figaro}} and most of the events occurred in low-income and high-immigration neighbourhoods. However, after having given an unusually direct support to Israel,{{Cite web |url=http://www.elysee.fr/communiques-de-presse/article/entretien-avec-le-premier-ministre-israelien/ |title = Entretien avec le Premier ministre israélien - Présidence de la République |access-date=2015-08-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150729180200/http://www.elysee.fr/communiques-de-presse/article/entretien-avec-le-premier-ministre-israelien/ |archive-date=2015-07-29 |url-status=dead }} the French government took a hard stance and forbid almost every pro-Palestinian demonstration. The interdictions begun around 14 July, mostly presented as technical and due to the overlap with the festivities of the national holiday,{{cite web|url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2014/07/13/97001-20140713FILWWW00215-lille-une-manif-pro-palestinienne-interdite.php|title=Lille: une manif pro-palestinienne interdite|last=lefigaro.fr|date=13 July 2014|publisher=|accessdate=10 August 2017}} but not everywhere.{{cite web|url=http://www.itele.fr/france/video/manifestation-en-soutien-a-gaza-a-nice-malgre-linterdiction-prefectorale-88414|title=Manifestation en soutien à Gaza à Nice, malgré l'interdiction préfectorale|publisher=|accessdate=10 August 2017}} Then the justifications put forward for later interdictions quickly became{{cite web|url=http://www.franceinfo.fr/actu/societe/article/hollande-contre-une-importation-du-conflit-israelo-palestinien-533177|title=Manifestations pro-palestiniennes : les préfets appelés à la vigilance|date=14 July 2014|publisher=|accessdate=10 August 2017}} the clashes between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel activists, which begun as soon as 13 July.{{cite web|url=http://www.france24.com/fr/20140716-emeutes-rue-roquette-synagogue-paris-antisemitisme-conflit-isra%C3%A9lo-palestinien|title=Que s'est-il vraiment passé rue de la Roquette le 13 juillet ? - France 24|date=16 July 2014|publisher=|accessdate=10 August 2017}}{{cite news|url=http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2014/07/14/manifestations-pro-palestiniennes-cazeneuve-appelle-a-la-vigilance_4457238_3224.html|title=La France s'inquiète d'une " importation " du conflit israélo-palestinien|first=François Béguin et Laurent|last=Borredon|newspaper=Le Monde.fr|date=14 July 2014|publisher=|accessdate=10 August 2017|via=Le Monde}} This led to many illegal demonstrations during this month, in a context of tensions. In particular those of Barbès{{cite news|url=http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2014/07/16/la-prefecture-veut-interdire-une-manifestation-pro-palestinienne-a-paris_4458205_3224.html|title=La préfecture veut interdire une manifestation propalestinienne à Paris|newspaper=Le Monde.fr|date=16 July 2014|publisher=|accessdate=10 August 2017|via=Le Monde}}{{cite web|url=http://www.france24.com/fr/20140719-live-direct-paris-manifestations-pro-palestiniens-gaza-interdiction-israel|title=Manifestation en soutien à Gaza interdite à Paris : des dizaines d'interpellations - France 24|date=19 July 2014|publisher=|accessdate=10 August 2017}} and Sarcelles.{{cite web|url=http://www.france24.com/fr/20140718-manifestations-pro-palestiniennes-paris-banlieue-interdites-prefecture-heurts-synagogues|title=Interdiction des manifestations pro-palestiniennes à Paris et en banlieue - France 24|date=18 July 2014|publisher=|accessdate=10 August 2017}} Those demonstrations have often been described as antisemitic, and many comments pointed out the presence of Islamic or ethnic ("communautaristes") orientations{{cite web|url=http://questions.assemblee-nationale.fr/q14/14-2064QG.htm|title=Question n°2064 - Assemblée nationale|first=Assemblée|last=Nationale|website=questions.assemblee-nationale.fr|accessdate=10 August 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/politique/le-scan/citations/2014/07/22/25002-20140722ARTFIG00155-estrosi-les-propalestiniens-sont-les-memes-que-ceux-qui-alimentent-le-djihad-en-syrie.php|title=Estrosi : les propalestiniens "sont les mêmes" que ceux qui alimentent le djihad en Syrie|first=Marc de|last=Boni|date=22 July 2014|publisher=|accessdate=10 August 2017|via=Le Figaro}} inside those demonstrations, although they have mostly been organised by the radical left and the far-left (in particular the NPA{{cite web|url=http://blogs.mediapart.fr/blog/antoine-montpellier/300714/npa-communique-manifs-pour-gaza-notre-camarade-alain-pojolat-convoque-devant-les-tribunaux|title=NPA. Communiqué : manifs pour Gaza. Notre camarade Alain Pojolat convoqué devant les tribunaux !|first=Antoine|last=(Montpellier)|date=30 July 2014|publisher=|accessdate=10 August 2017}}). Some incorrect news was broadcast and corrected afterwards,{{cite web|url=http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/societe/manifs-pro-gaza-en-france-les-erreurs-des-medias_1560762.html|title=Manifs pro-Gaza en France: les erreurs des médias|date=21 July 2014|publisher=|accessdate=10 August 2017}} while we have oral reports of antisemitic sentences which are hard to check (such as the rumour of a "Mort aux Juifs !", "Death to the Jews!") but a few pictures from the Dieudonné sphere can be found.{{cite web|url=http://sanidessinateur.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/dessins-affiches-dans-la-manifestation.html|title=Dessins affichés dans la manifestation pour Gaza|website=sanidessinateur.blogspot.co.uk|date=25 July 2014|accessdate=10 August 2017}} In parallel, the pro-Israel counter-demonstration in Sarcelles was forbidden as well, since groups such as Jewish Defense League have already participated in several violent confrontations with pro-Palestinian demonstrators in the previous days.{{cite web|url=http://www.itele.fr/france/video/incidents-rue-de-la-roquette-deux-versions-sopposent-88564|title=Incidents Rue de la Roquette: deux versions s'opposent|publisher=|accessdate=10 August 2017}}
=Claims of rising of antisemitism=
{{further|Antisemitism in 21st-century France|Toulouse and Montauban shootings}}
France has the third largest community of Jews after Israel and the U.S. and antisemitism in France has increased significantly in recent years with one monitoring group claiming that it has increased 700% since the 1990s.{{cite news |title=Anti-Semitic attacks rise in France as Gaza conflict stirs tensions |url=https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/aee8175c-2472-11e4-be8e-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3Ek6FKVM9 |work=Financial Times |date=15 August 2014}} Since the beginning of the 21st century, antisemitism in France has found new sources of recruitment from certain leftist groups and in the identification of a significant proportion of the Muslim immigrant population with the Palestinian cause on the one hand and with radical Islamism on the other.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/26/international/26antisemitism.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1|title=Jews in France Feel Sting as Anti-Semitism Surges Among Children of Immigrants|work=The New York Times|date=26 March 2006 | first=Craig S. | last=Smith | accessdate=2010-05-04}}[https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/29/magazine/a-frenchman-or-a-jew.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm New York Times Magazine: "A Frenchman Or a Jew?" By Fernanda Eberstadt] February 29, 2004[http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-features/.premium-1.574909 Haaretz: "French hatred of Jews goes far beyond Muslim anti-Semitism, says U.K. author" by Daniella Peled] February 18, 2014 By early 2014 the number of French Jews immigrating to Israel had overtaken the number of American Jews and at the same time 70% of French Jews were concerned about insults or harassment and 60% about physical aggression because of their Jewishness, both figures being much higher than the European average.{{cite web|url=http://www.dw.de/alarmed-by-anti-semitism-french-jews-consider-flight/a-17493908|title=Alarmed by anti-Semitism, French Jews consider flight|work=DW.DE|accessdate=20 April 2015}}
A kosher grocery store was set ablaze, for which the perpetrator was convicted of arson.{{cite news|last1=Butnick|first1=Stephanie|title=Paris Kosher Supermarket Arsonist Sentenced|url=http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/186813/paris-kosher-supermarket-arsonist-sentenced|accessdate=6 November 2014|publisher=Tablet|date=5 November 2014}}
Reactions
=Government response=
Prime Minister of France Manuel Valls condemned the attack as antisemitic. He said of the attack, "What's happened in Sarcelles is intolerable: attacking a synagogue or a kosher grocery, is quite simply anti-Semitism, racism."{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28402882|title=Gaza conflict: France criticises 'anti-Semitic' riot|work=BBC News|date=21 July 2014|accessdate=20 April 2015}}
Minister of the Interior Bernard Cazeneuve said that the violence prompted the ban, not that the ban prompted the violence.
Three men, aged 21 and 28, were jailed for between six and ten months for their part in the riot. A fourth man received a suspended sentence, and a minor received a fine. Three other men received suspended sentences for their part in a riot in Paris on the same day. None of the convictions in Sarcelles were for 'anti-Semitism'. Instead they were for minor public order offences. The term 'riot' was never used by police or prosecutors.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28439988|title=Gaza conflict: France jails pro-Palestinian rioters|work=BBC News|date=23 July 2014|accessdate=20 April 2015}}