“Our European Office is now working with ECCAR (European Coalition of 148 Cities Against Racism) to push back antisemitism at the municipal level.”

Paris, 1 March 2018

The Wiesenthal Centre, together with its counterpart, BNVCA (National Bureau for Vigilance Against Antisemitism), congratulated the Hauts-de-Seine Regional Prefect, Pierre Soubelet, for his efforts to obtain the cancellation of the 21 January 2018 unilateral decree recognising the “State of Palestine,” promoted by the Communist Mayor of the Paris suburb, Gennevilliers, Patrice Leclerc.

Simon Wiesenthal Centre Director for International Relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels, noted that “the suburban municipalities surrounding Paris are known as ‘the red belt’ due to a traditional Communist leadership. Today, many of these precincts, once Jewish, are predominantly Islamist festering impoverished slums.”

“Recognising ‘Palestine’ may be an easy gesture to retain a voting constituency, but also acts as a call to more antisemitic violence... Hence the current move of most Jewish residents to safer neighbourhoods in central Paris. May the Gennevilliers Mayor’s retraction be a welcome precedent,” argued Samuels.

“Our European office is now working with ECCAR (the European Coalition of 148 Cities Against Racism) to push back antisemitism at the municipal level... With the support of the Snider Foundation, we are cooperating with Israeli municipalities, who will join ECCAR to rid the cities of Europe of incitement to all forms of hatred and violence,” concluded Samuels.