Rioters vandalize Holocaust memorial in Paris

Rioters vandalized a Holocaust memorial site in the Paris suburb of Nanterre amid the large wave of anti-police protests.

Video footage of the incident on Thursday shows rioters shouting and writing anti-police slogans on the wall of the Memorial to the Martyrs of the Deportation.

“The vandalization of this monument desecrates the memory of the victims of the Nazis. Amid the social unrest currently roiling France, Holocaust memorials must be respected and protected,” said the Combat Antisemitism Movement.

“The Memorial to the Martyrs of the Deportation in Nanterre honors the 200,000 people who were sent from Vichy France to German concentration camps during WWII,” tweeted the Combat Antisemitism Movement.

It is truly horrifying to witness the Memorial to the Martyrs of the Deportation in Nanterre being vandalized.This shameful act of disrespect for the memory of the victims of the Holocaust must be unequivocally condemned and those responsible held accountable. pic.twitter.com/B0HT3L9TiF

— European Jewish Congress (@eurojewcong) June 29, 2023

Why the riots happened

The protesters that vandalized the site were angered by the death of 17-year-old Nahel by police, reports say. Reports say that he drove away from a traffic checkpoint in Nanterre when he was killed.

"The vandalization of this monument desecrates the memory of the victims of the Nazis. Amid the social unrest currently roiling France, Holocaust memorials must be respected and protected," said the Combat Antisemitism Movement.

According to Algemeiner, during a protest on Thursday a man tried to set fire to a French flag that flew over the monument, but not before being pulled away by other protesters.  

The same report also said that the officer who murdered Nahel has been charged with voluntary homicide.