An elderly couple in their 80s were awoken by a strong smell of burning in the early morning of Friday, October 20, 2023. According to Le Parisien, their front door was on fire in an apartment building in the 20th arrondissement of Paris. The fire was quickly extinguished after the couple alerted the firefighters.
The mezuzah, a religious object affixed to the doors of Jewish homes, may explain why these elderly individuals of Jewish faith were the sole targets of such an act. An investigation for “degradation due to religion” has been opened by the Paris prosecutor’s office, according to actu Paris.
According to a judicial source from BFMTV, a man quickly presented himself to the police officers at the scene. Unknown to the police, the individual was placed in custody after voluntarily admitting his involvement. The suspect allegedly confessed to “hearing voices” before committing the act. Due to his psychiatric condition, his custody was quickly lifted and he was placed in the psychiatric infirmary of the Paris police headquarters. The prosecutor’s office stated that the custody will resume upon his release and the investigations continue.
The victims have been offered support, according to Maxime Sauvage, the deputy mayor of the 20th arrondissement of Paris.
Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, condemned the “despicable antisemitic act” on social media the day after the fire.
This incident occurs in a tense context in France due to the war between Hamas and Israel. Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin reported 189 arrests for “antisemitic acts” since October 7, the first day of the Hamas attack.
