Three French teenagers are currently on trial in Nanterre, a suburb of western Paris, charged with the gang rape of a 12-year-old Jewish girl in June 2024.
The horrific crime, which involved antisemitic threats and remarks, sent shockwaves through France’s Jewish community amidst a documented rise in antisemitic attacks.
The closed-door proceedings at a juvenile court, expected to conclude on Friday, involve two boys, aged 13 at the time of the incident, facing charges of gang rape of a minor on religious grounds. A third boy, then 12, is accused of complicity in the crime. All three also face charges of sexual assault on a minor, aggravated by religious grounds, as well as recording and sharing sexual images.
According to police sources, the victim was approached by the three boys on June 15, 2024, in a park near her home in Courbevoie, a northwestern Paris suburb. She was then dragged into a shed, beaten, and “forced” to have sex while the assailants allegedly uttered death threats and antisemitic remarks, including calling her a “dirty Jew” and questioning her about “her Jewish religion” and Israel. The attack was reportedly filmed by one of the boys, with another threatening to kill the girl if she reported the ordeal.
The assault drew widespread condemnation from politicians, including President Emmanuel Macron, who denounced the “scourge” of antisemitism. Demonstrations in support of the victim took place in Paris and Courbevoie.
The trial unfolds against a backdrop of increasing antisemitic acts in France. Interior ministry figures show a surge from 436 reported incidents in 2022 to 1,676 in 2023, with a slight dip to 1,570 last year. Jewish groups attribute a significant portion of this rise to the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent conflict in Gaza.
Muriel Ouaknine-Melki, one of the victim’s lawyers, stated in court on Wednesday that her client seeks punishment for the aggressors “in line with the gravity of their actions” and “answers about what happened. Why this outburst of violence?”
Oudy Bloch, another lawyer for the victim, highlighted the “explosion of antisemitic acts in France,” revealing that their young client “suffered a year of antisemitic bullying at school before she was attacked.” He emphasised the victim’s desire for this rise in antisemitism to be acknowledged and for government action.
Clementine Berthier, the defence lawyer for one of the suspects, expressed hopes for a “serene and peaceful” trial for all parties involved.
