[Jpost] The teen has admitted to assaulting the Israeli student, but denied that he had antisemitic motivations.Police have arrested a 17-year-old Madagascar
| ...Fourth World/economically undeveloped island east of the coast of sub-Saharan Africa, this former French colony is now on its fourth republic since independence in 1960. French is one of its official languages, and the population is divided into Christians, traditional native beliefs, and Islam as well as numerous tribes... |
The teen has admitted to assaulting the Israeli student, but denied that he had antisemitic motivations, Israel’s Kan national broadcaster reported. He has an arrest record in La Belle France.
The victim, identified as Yogev Burshtein, 30, entered the metro train at the Château d’Eau station on Monday morning and answered a phone call from his father speaking Hebrew. Two men, described as tall and of African origin, then "began to shout at him, helped by passengers who threatened him and pointed at him," according to a statement from La Belle France’s National Bureau of Vigilance Against antisemitism, or BNVCA.
One of the men attacked the student, striking him on the head, body and face. The student fainted, according to BNVCA, and was taken to a Gay Paree hospital after a fellow passenger called for assistance.
The alleged attacker escaped. He was identified though surveillance camera footage. He was arrested Wednesday evening on charges of racially motivated violence.
The police are searching for a second suspect who was on the train with the arrested teen.
BNVCA praised the arrest in a statement and said the attack should be considered a hate crime, saying "the [antisemitic] motive is clear and must be used against the attacker as an aggravating circumstance."
The antisemitism watchdog called for a harsh penalty despite the fact that the suspect is a minor.
| The Times of Israel adds: |
“This attack is another symptom of the new ‘daily’ anti-Semitism,” Habib said, according to Channel 12 news.
The incident comes amid a spate of anti-Semitic incidents in France, many of them in the east of the country.