Fifty-three graves were desecrated at a Jewish cemetery in France. On late Saturday night in Lille, the headstones were broken off of graves. Police have opened an inquiry but have not yet made any arrests. The municipality of Lille condemned the desecration as an “outrageous act of anti-Semitism.” Lille Mayor Martine Aubry visited the cemetery Sunday morning, and the new French Interior minister, Francois Baroin, expressed his indignation. “We will employ all our means to find out as soon as possible who is responsible for these intolerable acts,” Baroin said. Franc Hanon, a member of the Lille Jewish community whose great-uncle’s grave was desecrated, said, “I feel horrified and saddened by what I see today. This is a symbol of cowardice and of anti-Semitism.” The French Jewish representative council CRIF called the desecration of Jewish tombs on the eve of Passover an “abominable act.”
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