A French leisure park manager was detained for alleged
religious discrimination after Israeli children were denied entry, prosecutors
said Friday.
According to the prosecutor's office in Perpignan, the Israeli children, who ranged in age from 8 to 16, were on vacation in Spain and had scheduled a visit to the zip line facility in Porté-Puymorens, which is located in the Pyrenean mountains close to the Spanish border, on Thursday.
According to the prosecutor's office, the manager first informed certain individuals that he was denying the group entry due to "personal beliefs" before providing additional explanations to others.
Due to a storm, the park will be closed Thursday "in order to carry out a complete inspection of the facilities," according to a message shared on social media Wednesday night.
The park told the group they could not visit. They went to another leisure facility in France with no incident, the statement said.
The manager denied any wrongdoing, it added.
"A line was crossed. We are appalled,"
said Perla Danan, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF) in the Languedoc-Roussillon region.
“It started with graffiti, insults and physical attacks and now it's literally a ban on children aged 8 to 16,"
Danan said, adding that it reminded her of the “no Jews or dogs allowed” sign during the Holocaust.
“France's values have been violated,"
she said.
Jean-Philippe Augé, the mayor of Porté-Puymorens, which has around 100 inhabitants, said
“the DNA of our community is based on a sense of sharing and fraternity,"
adding that the incident had caused “utter astonishment”
in the village.
In France, "religious discrimination" is a crime that carries a maximum sentence of three years in jail.
According to Augé, a private company runs the zip line course.
In a statement released on Friday, the Jewish Observatory of France also voiced "deep outrage." "Undermining the fundamental principles of the Republic, such an act of discrimination is extremely serious, targeting minors exclusively on the basis of their nationality and origin," the statement read.
France has seen a major rise in antisemitism following the October 7 Hamas assault in Israel and the resulting war in Gaza in 2023. Jewish communities and leaders are alarmed by these incidents, which include physical assaults, threats, vandalism, and harassment.
How common are similar refusals to Israelis or Jews in French leisure sites?
Refusals or discriminatory treatment of Israelis or Jews at
French leisure sites and public venues, while not ubiquitous, are part of a
broader pattern of rising antisemitism and discrimination in France. Recent
incidents, including the detention of the leisure park manager for refusing
Israeli children access due to their nationality or religion, have drawn
attention to these issues.
According to a 2023 survey on antisemitism in France, about 70% of French Jews report having been victims of at least one antisemitic act in their lifetime, including verbal abuse, threats, and physical attacks. Many Jews in France experience a sense of threat regularly or occasionally, with young and observant Jews being disproportionately targeted.
Discrimination and hostility often manifest in public spaces, including schools, workplaces, and recreational venues, contributing to some Jewish people avoiding certain places or hiding their identity for safety reasons.