French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has vowed a tough response after a leisure park manager refused entry to a group of young Israelis, linking the case to a broader surge in antisemitic incidents and strains with Israel.<\/p>\n
On Friday, the hardline Retailleau condemned as \u201cserious\u201d the refusal of a leisure park in the Pyr\u00e9n\u00e9es-Orientales<\/a> to admit a group of 150 young Israeli holidaymakers, calling it incompatible with the values of the Republic.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not our vision of the Republic, nor of human dignity,\u201d he told BFMTV, noting that an investigation was under way and that the park\u2019s manager remained in custody.<\/p>\n According to prosecutors in Perpignan, the manager had barred the youngsters on the basis of his \u201cpersonal convictions\u201d and was detained on suspicion of \u201creligious discrimination in the provision of goods or services.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hope the courts will be very firm. Nothing can be allowed to slip by,\u201d Retailleau added, stressing that \u201cantisemitic acts<\/a> are exploding.\u201d<\/p>\n France rejects Netanyahu\u2019s antisemitism claim over recognition of Palestine<\/a><\/p>\n Spike in antisemitic acts<\/p>\n Official figures show that between January and May 2025, 504 antisemitic incidents<\/a> were recorded in France, including 323 attacks against individuals.<\/p>\n While that represents a 24 percent fall compared with last year, the number has more than doubled compared with the same period in 2023.<\/p>\n The incident comes amid rising tensions between France and Israel.<\/p>\n Only two days earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused President Emmanuel Macron of \u201cfuelling antisemitic flames\u201d in France with his decision to move ahead with recognition of a Palestinian state<\/a>.<\/p>\n Netanyahu denounced the move as \u201canti-Jewish,\u201d further straining ties between the two leaders.<\/p>\n France demands ‘explanation’ after Jewish youths removed from flight in Spain<\/a><\/p>\n Jewish communities ‘vulnerable’<\/p>\n The warning comes at a time when Jewish communities in France say they feel increasingly vulnerable.<\/p>\n Over the summer, watchdog groups and police noted a worrying spike in antisemitic assaults<\/a> in several cities, from desecration of synagogues to verbal and physical attacks in public spaces.<\/p>\n Community leaders have urged the government to back up its strong rhetoric with tougher enforcement and stronger support for Jewish institutions.<\/p>\n