A new “Orleans Affair” has erupted in the small French provincial city of Amiens. Jewish store owners and businessmen are being accused of “kidnapping” and other “immoral acts” in a campaign of rumor that has spread through the town by word of mouth. The Amiens affair broke out several days ago in the same mysterious manner in which a similar situation developed in Orleans last year. The rumors seem to have started in a girls’ high school and to have spread from there throughout the city. Hardest hit victims have been the women’s clothing stores, some of which are now standing practically empty.
Local Jewish businessmen have also reported receiving threatening telephone calls warning them of “reprisals” should they fail to return the Christian girls they were accused of kidnapping. One local merchant, Mme. Jeanne Dubois, who although not Jewish has been victimized by the slanderous rumors, filed a complaint with the police and the district prosecutor’s office charging “malicious calumny.” She demanded a thorough investigation to discover the source of the rumors A number of Jewish organizations also plan to investigate the new incidents. When a similar situation broke out in Orleans last year, it resulted in a country wide uproar and Government as well as local action to bring the situation under control.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
