Jewish community centre burned in attack
No one was hurt as flames tore through the centre on the first floor of a six-story building. The centre, a meeting place and cafeteria for the elderly and disadvantaged, was gutted, rescue officials said.
Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and other top officials visited the centre, the latest target in a years-long wave of anti-Jewish attacks in France.
“I came here today to say that France cannot accept a trivialisation of anti-Semitism,” the prime minister said.
Mr Raffarin noted that the maximum sentence for such crimes is 20 years behind bars.
“Prosecutors will request the maximum sentences,” he promised.
In a statement, President Jacques Chirac condemned the attack and pledged solidarity with the Jewish community. The government is “determined to find the perpetrators of this unacceptable act so that they can be tried and convicted with the greatest severity” that the law allows, he said.
Firefighters were called to the scene at about 3.30 am local time and had extinguished the flames by early morning. The centre’s wooden doors were damaged by flames, while the walls inside were blackened. The apartments upstairs were not affected.
