A Holocaust memorial installed just eight months ago in the French city of Lyon has been defaced with the words “Free Gaza,” according to local officials, as reports of antisemitic incidents rise across France.
The phrase was carved into the black marble memorial late Saturday, Lyon’s mayor, Grégory Doucet, confirmed. Yonathan Arfi, from the Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF), shared an image of the damage on social media, describing the act as “shameful.”
Doucet condemned the vandalism of the 3-meter-tall memorial, located near the train station where hundreds of Jews were deported to Nazi extermination camps, calling it “unacceptable” and vowing that those responsible would be “identified and held accountable.” Lyon, he added, “remains unwavering in its opposition to hatred, antisemitism, and racism.”
The memorial was inaugurated in January to commemorate 80 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Reports of antisemitic acts in France have increased significantly since the Hamas-led assault on Israel on 7 October 2023 and Israel’s subsequent military response, which Palestinian health authorities say has resulted in at least 63,000 deaths.
France’s interior ministry reported last week that anti-Jewish incidents recorded in the first half of 2025 had decreased by 27% compared to the same period the year before. However, the total remains more than double the number documented in the first six months of 2023.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has criticized French President Emmanuel Macron, alleging that his support for international recognition of a Palestinian state has fueled antisemitism—a claim Macron dismissed as “baseless” and “false.”
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