In late October, nearly 200 stars of David were stencil-painted on the walls of Paris, causing concern and unease throughout France. The investigation opened following the arrest of two Moldovan couples has led to Anatoli Prizenko, a pro-Russian Moldovan businessman, who is believed to be the mastermind.
Nearly two weeks after the discovery of the tags representing the symbol of Judaism on the walls of Paris, the investigation has progressed and led to the suspected mastermind, of Moldovan origin.
According to Europe 1, the police have been able to establish the link between the two couples arrested for tagging blue Stars of David on Parisian buildings and Anatoli Prizenko, a Moldovan businessman in his fifties. He is a former close associate of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM), an organization described as eurosceptic and pro-Russian.
As reported by Libération, the study of the telephone records of a Moldovan couple, a 29-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman, allowed the investigators to trace back to this “third person based abroad.” According to a source close to the investigation, this is a serious lead.
The action was not intended to offend or negatively hurt anyone’s feelings, and certainly not to scare them. It was peaceful. In addition, the stars were painted with a special washable paint, which excludes any damage to the property. In the context of attacks and anti-Semitism in Europe, the only purpose of the action was to inspire and support the Jews of Europe, to remind them of the history of the Jewish people. “And may God always protect them!”, defended Anatoli Prizenko to Libération, without explaining the silence he maintained until this contact, while the whole of France was wondering about the hidden motives behind these tags. Furthermore, our colleagues have found no evidence of support for Jewish communities in the businessman’s past activities.
For Anatoli Prizenko, the misunderstanding comes from French politicians who have “created a wave of fear and panic in society” by “not understanding the situation.” While urging Jews not to be afraid and to “show faith” by displaying this symbol on their “house, on (their) store, on (their) car”, he promises to hold a “press conference in Paris soon to explain the process.”
