Antisemitic crime in France: A Jewish woman was stabbed and a swastika was found painted on her front door

A Jewish woman in her 30s was stabbed in her home this Saturday in Lyon, France. Police found a swastika painted on the door of her home, suggesting the crime could have been motivated by antisemitism.

According to local reports, the attack took place in the Montluc neighborhood, in the 3rd district of Lyon, around 1:00 in the afternoon. The victim stated that a masked man dressed in dark clothing broke into her home and attacked her by stabbing her twice in the abdomen. The woman was found in her home and taken to a local hospital. She is now in stable condition.

The attacker, who fled the scene, is still at large, and authorities are conducting a thorough investigation to identify him and bring him to justice. “The initial findings led the Lyon public prosecutor's office to open an investigation into attempted murder aggravated by the fact that the act could be motivated by an antisemitic motive,” the prosecutor's office said.

This attack comes at a time when France is experiencing an increase in antisemitic crimes. Since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 819 incidents of antisemitism have been reported throughout the country. According to French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, there have been more incidents in the last three weeks than all of last year.

France has also received several terrorist threats that have forced places such as airports, the Palace of Versailles and the Louvre museum to evacuate visitors.

Antisemitism in the United States has also increased

The FBI revealed an alarming 36% increase in antisemitic hate crimes in 2022. These crimes represented the highest percentage of reported religiously motivated crimes, considerably outnumbering incidents directed against Muslims and Christians.

FBI statistics show that a total of 1,124 hate crimes targeting the Jewish community were reported in 2022, reflecting a significant increase compared to the 824 cases recorded in 2021.