Paris, 20 December 2020 

In a letter to Miss France Competition Director-General, Sylvie Tellier, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre Director for International Relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels, expressed outrage at the wave of Twitter attacks against April Benayoum, Miss Provence and first runner-up in Miss France 2021.

“There have been critiques of feminist organizations who consider beauty competitions as debasing to women, but this year – the Miss France centenary – will be remembered as a sick exercise in Jew-hatred,” argued Samuels.

Miss Benayoum, in her follow-up thanks, noted, “I have an array of origins: my mother is Serbo-Croat, my father Israeli-Italian. This gave me a passion for geography and the discerning of other cultures.”

This comment won her tweets such as: “Uncle Hitler forgot to exterminate you Miss Provence.” (see photo capture)

April Benayoum (Instagram@benayoumapril)
/Antisemitic tweet “Uncle Hitler forgot to exterminate you Miss Provence”

Other choice examples include:
- “Miss Provence is Israeli, so those who vote for her, her mother is a prostitute!”
- “Miss Provence is linked to Israel; let’s get rid of her!”
- “Where there are Jews, it is right to have antisemitism!”
- “Tell Miss Provence that Israel doesn’t exist; it is Palestine!”

“Madam Director-General, we suggest that the Competition’s response – beside a protest to Twitter – should be its adoption of the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) Definition of Antisemitism.

“We are ready to assist in bringing this tool – that has been adopted so far by the EU, France, a number of democracies worldwide, international organizations, universities, football clubs and sport federations, municipalities, administrations, private businesses and NGOs – to cleanse the filth that has sullied this Miss France Competition,” offered the Centre.

Our message to France’s Deputy Beauty Queen, Ms. Benayoum, is from the Diary of Anne Frank: “Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy!” concluded Samuels.

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Please contact us if you are a witness or victim of antisemitism or other forms of discrimination on social media.

“For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing.” (Simon Wiesenthal, 1908-2005)