French authorities hastily rule out antisemitic motive after yet another Jewish person reported murdered

Following the graphic reports of the murder of a French Jewish man by his Muslim roommate, authorities have already ruled out an antisemitic motive.

Eyal Haddad, 34, from the town of Longperrier, north-east of Paris, was reportedly murdered on 20th August.

The alleged perpetrator has been identified as Mohamed Dridi, 22, who is said to have used an axe to attack his victim before burning the victim’s face and attempting to bury the body.

In response to the news, Jewish groups asked that when the authorities investigate, they should do so by “considering the antisemitic character [of the allegations] and not dismissing it a priori” and “investigate and shed light on the true motives of [Mr Haddad’s] killer.”

The International Affairs Advisor to the European Parliament, Manel Msalmim tweeted: “It is not the first time that a Jew is murdered by his neighbour. We condemn this barbaric and criminal act and we call for justice for Eyal.”

However, on 30th August, it was reported that following authorities’ initial investigations, it has been decided that there was no antisemitic intent.

The authorities’ decision arrives despite the suspect allegedly turning himself in to the police and confessing that his motivation was because he was owed 100 euros and because the victim was Jewish.

There have also been claims in the French Jewish media that the suspect had made Islamist comments on social media in the days before the killing.

2022 has seen two other instances of Jewish people being killed in alleged antisemitic attacks.

In February, Jeremy Cohen, 31, was fatally wounded after being hit by a tram. At first, Mr Cohen’s death was treated as a traffic accident, until video footage released by the family appeared to show a group of men attacking Mr Cohen, prompting him to flee for safety without noticing the tram. He was then taken to hospital but did not survive his injuries.

Mr Cohen is believed to have been wearing his kippah, or skullcap, during the attack, and the family have now called upon the police to reopen the investigation into his death as they feel his visible Jewish identity played a role in his attackers’ motivation.

It was reportedly only when the family started asking questions, handing out fliers in post boxes throughout the neighbourhood and urging witnesses to come forward, that someone eventually came forward with the crucial video footage that showed that the victim was being attacked moments before his death.

In April, two men, reported to be aged 27 and 23, were charged with causing Mr Cohen’s death. However, the public prosecutor denied there was enough evidence to “establish the discriminatory nature of the attack.”

The next month, Rene Hadjaj, 90, was allegedly defenestrated from an apartment block in Lyon. Mr Hadjaj’s neighbour, 51, was arrested in connection with the event.

Police said that the incident related to an argument between the two and was not connected to the victim’s Jewish identity, and ruled out an antisemitic motive. This decision elicited outrage from parts of the French community.

A few days later, however, it was announced that the investigation was to be extended following new information that was discovered on social media arising from investigations carried out by concerned members of the Jewish community.

These incidents followed the well-publicised death of Sarah Halimi, a 65-year-old Jewish woman who was murdered by her Muslim neighbour, Kobili Traoré, 27, who tortured her before pushing her out of a window to her death.

Mr Traoré was said to have yelled “Allah Akbar,” “I killed the shaitan,” which is an Arabic word for ‘devil’ or ‘demon’, along with antisemitic vitriol. It took time for the police to recognise the antisemitic motive, but Mr Traoré was deemed unfit to stand trial because he was under the influence of drugs at the time. The judgement was highly controversial and let to protests around the world – including a rally outside the French embassy in London organised by Campaign Against Antisemitism – and a parliamentary inquiry.

However, in June 2021, it was announced that a French Parliamentary commission of inquiry would be established in order to investigate Ms Halimi’s death.

Ms Halimi’s death is a well-known case, but it is not the only instance of this kind. In 2018, 85-year-old Mireille Knoll, a Holocaust survivor, was stabbed eleven times during a botched robbery that also saw her body set alight in an effort by the perpetrators to burn her apartment. In this instance, the authorities did accept that there was an antisemitic motive and the perpetrators were jailed.

According to a report published by the French Jewish Community Security Service, antisemitic incidents in France have skyrocketed.