French Minister outraged by antisemitic incident: 'We will not tolerate this'

It all began when an Irish citizen on vacation in France accosted a Jewish couple, citizens of Australia, who were traveling in the country, in a crowded supermarket. The two documented the shocking verbal attack by the Irishman, who said things that were hard to hear and threatened the tourists with violence, an incident that was condemned by the French Minister for Gender Equality and the Fight against Discrimination, Aurore Bergé.

'I will put a bullet in each of your heads,' the Irishman said after remarking to the Jews, 'It is a pity Hitler did not finish the job.' Karen Ivers, who filmed the incident, posted the footage on X, where it quickly went viral and accumulated about a million views within hours.

'The man from Ireland approached us because my husband was wearing a French national football team shirt, and obviously he also heard us speaking English,' Ivers wrote. 'He joked and asked, 'Why is an Englishman wearing a French shirt?' My husband answered in a friendly way that he is Australian, but liked the shirt, and since we are traveling around France, he was happy to wear it.'

After that, the conversation turned to Irish football before moving on to politics. Ivers said she told him that her objection was not to the Irish national football team but to Irish politics, which she described as staunchly anti-Israel and supportive of Hamas and Hezbollah. According to her, the man then became aggressive and said he was sorry that Hitler did not 'finish the job.'

'The incident must not be tolerated'

The antisemitic attack sparked real outrage in France. Aurore Bergé, the French Minister for Gender Equality and the Fight against Discrimination, issued a statement condemning the ugly attack. 'An Australian tourist couple was violently attacked in a French supermarket by an Irish citizen. He allegedly made serious antisemitic remarks before making death threats against the couple. Part of this scene, which was filmed and widely distributed on social media, demonstrates a chilling and unacceptable level of violence. Such comments, which explicitly evoke the memory of the Holocaust, must not be dismissed or tolerated,' the minister's statement read.

'Since October 7, 2023, and the antisemitic massacres committed by Hamas terrorists in Israel, antisemitism has experienced an unprecedented wave in many countries. I have always been committed, and will always be committed, to ensuring that antisemitism does not receive even a drop of legitimacy,' Minister Bergé tells 'HaYom'.

'Last February, I traveled to Israel, to the kibbutzim that were hit in the terrorist attacks and to the site of the Nova festival. There I met with the families of the victims and shared their grief. To all the bereaved families, the survivors, and those who still carry the wounds of October 7, I want to reiterate my compassion and my unwavering support,' she added.

Bergé expressed a clear pro-Israel stance regarding the fight against hatred of Israel and hatred of Jews, saying: 'To the Israeli people, as well as to the French community in Israel, I want to reaffirm that France will always be determined to fight antisemitism. Israelis, like all Jews, regardless of their nationality, are welcome in France. Everyone must be able to live, move, and stay here freely, without hiding their identity or fearing for their safety. In the face of any threat, any insult, and any antisemitic attack, our response will be firm. In the face of antisemitism, as in the face of terrorism, our determination will be absolute.'