2002 Lyon car attack

On 30 March 2002, a group of masked men rammed two cars through the courtyard gates, then rammed one of the cars into the prayer hall of a synagogue in the Lyon neighborhood of Duchere, before setting the vehicles afire, causing severe damage to the synagogue.

Attack

The attack took place at 1:00 am on a Saturday morning; the building was empty at the time. The attackers wore masks or hoods covering their faces, eyewitnesses reported seeing twelve or fifteen attackers.[1][2][3][4]

This was the first of a series of attacks on Jewish targets in France in a single week – which coincided with the holiday of Passover – including "at least" five synagogues.[3][5] The targeted synagogues include the Or Aviv synagogue in Marseille, which burned to the ground; a synagogue in Strasbourg, where a fire was set that burned the doors and facade of the building before being doused;[6] and the firebombing of a synagogue in the Paris suburb of Le Kremlin-Bicêtre.[5]

One of the attackers was arrested and sentenced to two years in prison.[7]

Response

The French Jewish community viewed the attacks as acts of "terrorism". Maurice Obadia, President of the Jewish Community of La Duchere, said, "Nobody should try to make us believe that these are the acts of ill-at-ease delinquents, because these are the acts of terrorists." Alain Jacubowicz, a leader of the Jewish community in Lyon, Lyon described the ramming and arson attack at the Duchere synagogue as "an act of war."[3]

Kamel Kabtane, imam of the mosque in Lyon, told a Jewish audience: "The Muslim community and all the people who came with me today want to express solidarity with you, and it denounces with you and as loudly as you do these terrorist acts that attack freedom of religion."[3]

Prime Minister Lionel Jospin described the attack as "organized and premeditated"; he described himself as "revolted" by it and called for "respect of religions."[8]

French President Jacques Chirac called the attack "unspeakable" and "inadmissible."[8]

Michel Miraillet, Charge d'Affaires at the Embassy of France to Israel, said stringent measures were being taken by the authorities to ensure the security of French Jews.[7]

Context

Khaled Al-Hashimi and Carolin Goerzig describe this attack together with the 1995 Paris Métro and RER bombings as the "first incidents" in the rise of radical Islamic terrorism among the Muslim youth of Europe.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Vandals crash cars through French synagogue". Arizona Daily Sun. AP. 30 March 2002. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  2. ↑ "Shooting in France in Wave of Anti-Jewish Attacks". New York Times. 1 April 2002. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Diamond, Andrew (1 April 2002). "Weekend of anti-Semitism in France". JTA. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  4. ↑ Horn, Heather (19 March 2012). "The Jewish School Shooting and Patterns of Violence". The Atlantic. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  5. 1 2 Tagliabue, John (5 April 2002). "Synagogue In Paris Firebombed; Raids Go On". New York Times. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  6. ↑ McNeil, Donald (2 April 2002). "France Vows Harsh Action After More Synagogues Burn". New York Times. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  7. 1 2 Sheleg, Yair (7 May 2002). "Arrested in France". Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Attacks Heighten Security in France". Midland Daily News. 30 March 2002. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  9. ↑ Goerzig, Carolin (2014). Radicalization in Western Europe: Integration, Public Discourse and Loss of Identity Among Muslim Communities. Routledge. p. 67.
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