Anti-Semitic slogans were daubed in the small Jewish cemetery of Antibes in the south of France and on the local synagogue’s walls.
The president of the local Jewish community, Leon Allouche, said “local vandals and anti-Semites probably wanted to celebrate in their own way (Nazi war criminal Walter) Reder’s liberation (from Italy) and triumphant return to Austria.” Allouche said the incident probably took place last Thursday night after Reder was returned to Austria. He added, “This regularly occurs whenever a Nazi is tried or liberated.”
The community president asked the police to try and trace the vandals and said the community is determined “to defend itself.” Allouche refused to be more specific but said “we will not let ourselves be done in like sheep.”
In the nearby city of Nice, the municipal council voted today a special 140,000 Franc ($15,000 budget to restore the city’s Jewish cemetery desecrated by vandals last year.
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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.
