Paris, 28 April 2020

The Paris suburb of Colombes has seen violence over the last weeks, directed at police, in clashes demanding an end to lockdown.

Since 2015, it came under threat of Jihadist attacks.

Wiesenthal Centre Director for International Relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels, noted that, “yesterday, in the same suburb, a 29 year old resident rammed his car into two motorcycle police officers... With a knife found in the car, the driver claimed he acted ‘for the cause of Palestine’.”

“Statements broadcast on social media, such as last week’s French Ambassador at the UN Security Council warning to Israel – if it moves to annexe areas of the West Bank populated by Israelis –, may have aroused youth in Paris to attack French traffic police ‘in the name of Palestine’.”

The perpetrator was arrested and awaits trial. Both policemen were wounded, one in the head, the other in the stomach and legs.

“The Wiesenthal Centre wishes the two officers a speedy and complete recovery,” concluded Samuels.