French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed outrage at the recent destruction of an olive tree memorial dedicated to Ilan Halimi, a Jewish man who was tortured and murdered in 2006. Macron pledged that officials would spare no effort in identifying and punishing those responsible for this “act of hatred,” describing the vandalism as an “attempt to kill him a second time.” The tree, planted 14 years ago in Épinay-sur-Seine, was part of a network of memorials honoring Halimi, whose brutal story shocked France and the world.
Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez confirmed that an investigation was initiated following the discovery of the tree cut down and discarded in a flowerbed. Halimi was abducted by members of the so-called Barbarian gang, who believed his Jewish heritage indicated he would have wealthy parents. Despite the family’s desperate efforts to secure his release with a ransom demand of €450,000, the kidnappers eventually murdered him, leaving his severely burned body bound to a tree.
The local authority that oversees the memorial site reported the tree's removal, with Macron stating, "France will not forget this child of France who died because he was Jewish." He reinforced the nation’s resolve against antisemitism, asserting that the republic must remain “uncompromising” in the face of such hatred. French Prime Minister François Bayrou also condemned the act, attributing it to “antisemitic hatred” and emphasizing a collective duty to curb this insidious sentiment.
This incident is not isolated; previous acts of vandalism against Halimi's memorials, including a 2019 tree desecration, reflect ongoing antisemitism in France. Just two years earlier, there was outrage over a plaque commemorating Halimi that was defaced with hate speech. With Macron’s strong statements, it is clear that France is grappling with a painful history and a present struggle against the rise of antisemitic acts within its borders.
