Wave of anti-Semitism in France: Hundreds of Jewish tombs defaced

© Reuters / Vincent Kessler

Desecrated tombstones are seen at Sarre-Union Jewish cemetery, eastern France, February 15, 2015

Hundreds of tombs in a Jewish cemetery have been vandalized in eastern France. The incident follows a rise in the number of attacks against European Jews, including Sunday morning's shooting in Copenhagen.

What happened in the town of Sarre-Union was a "despicable act," French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said on Sunday, referring to the defaced Jewish tombs. "The country will not tolerate this new injury which goes against the values that all French people share."

"Every effort will be made to identify, question and bring to justice the person or persons responsible for this ignominious act," he added.

France's Prime Minister Manuel Valls also condemned the act of desecration on Twitter, referring to the incident as "an antisemitic and ignoble act."

The Sarre-Union cemetery has witnessed several cases of vandalism in the past. Approximately 60 Jewish gravestones were overturned and thrown to the ground in 1988, and another 54 tombs were destroyed in 2001.

The attacks come amid growing religious tensions in Europe. France has been in the center of it all, since the attacks in Paris last month.

On January 7, Islamists attacked the office of French satirical magazine , known for its controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. The assailants said they "revenged their Prophet." Two days later, a gunman linked to the attackers took hostages at a Paris kosher store, killing four Jews there. A total of 17 people were killed in the attacks.

The most recent attack shocked Denmark's Copenhagen this weekend, when two people were killed in two separate shootings outside a synagogue and at a free speech debate in a café. The slain suspect was identified by police as a 22-year-old Danish-born man with a criminal record and history of gang-related offenses.

On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu renewed his call for Jewish immigration to Israel, echoing his words that followed January's terrorist attacks. "Jews were killed on European land just because they were Jewish. This wave of attacks will continue. I say to the Jews of Europe - Israel is your home," he said.

Netanyahu said Israel will discuss a $46 million plan to encourage Jewish migration from Belgium, France, and Ukraine, stressing that Israel is the home to all Jews.

Five French teens aged 15 to 17 are being held for questioning over the incident, a local prosecutor said Monday. All five are from the Sarre-Union region.

Prosecutor Philippe Vannier told reporters that the youngest of the group turned himself in after being shocked by the mass public outcry over the vandalism.

Chomsky: We Are All – Fill in the Blank.

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