Three teenagers arrested in France following rape of 12-year-old Jewish girl

Three teenage boys have been arrested in France after the gang-rape of a 12-year old Jewish girl. 

The boys were arrested on Monday after the girl reported the incident in the northwestern Paris suburb of Courbevoie.

According to newspaper Le Figaro, the boys were indicted for gang rape, death threats, antisemitic violence, attempted extortion, invasion of privacy, violence and insults.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that the attack was an act of revenge by an ex-boyfriend angry that the young girl hid her Jewish identity.

Le Monde newspaper reports that she was attacked in a park near her  before being dragging into a shed and gang-raped.

Writing on Twitter/X, Chief Rabbi of France Haim Korsia said he was horrified.

“Justice must firmly sanction the perpetrators of this despicable act. No one can be excused from this unprecedented anti-Semitic surge. No one can ignore that the slayers of hatred also have their share of responsibility.”

Le Monde reports that anti-Semitic acts in France increased three-fold in the first months of 2024, compared to the same period a year ago, Of the 1,676 antisemitic acts recorded in 2023, 12.7% took place in schools.