The Paris headquarters of the Club Mediterranee, one of the world’s largest travel organizations was damaged this morning by the explosion of two bombs. Later a terrorist group said it set off the blasts “as an act of resistance against the Jewish occupation (of France).” The club is owned jointly by Jewish businessman Gilbert Traigano and the Rothschild bank.
The explosions, occurring early this morning, severely damaged the building. A night watchman was slightly injured by flying glass. Police said the bombs were placed in the central lobby sometime yesterday before the offices closed down for the weekend.
Several hours after the explosion a group calling itself “The French National Liberation Front” assumed responsibility for the attack. The organization’s spokesman telephoned news agencies in Paris to say “We did not fight German occupation (during World War II) only to suffer now seven million Jews, Arabs and Blacks.” He said the blast was one of several “acts of resistance against Jewish occupation.” The club operates holiday camps in Israel and in several Arab countries and also brings several tens of thousands of foreigners to its camps in France.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
