According to first details, the suspect, 17, is a known offender to the police • He admitted the act but denied that the Israeli background was anti-Semitic • He was attacked on the train after speaking in Hebrew
The young man who was attacked in France
Israeli student attack in Paris: On Thursday, a suspect was arrested for striking the Israeli young man, who was severely beaten in the face and sustained a broken nose. Police in Paris are still searching for a second suspect in the assault incident, who allegedly drove with the assailant arrested.
French MP Meir Habib said: "I applaud the police for the quick response. The suspect has been identified by security cameras stationed in the metro. The suspect is 17 years old and a known offender to the police.
He added: "I spoke again today with Yogev, the student who was attacked, and I have been in continuous contact with him for the past few days. He is adamant and convinced that the reason he was attacked is only because he spoke in Hebrew."
The case happened two days ago. An Israeli young man was attacked Tuesday morning in Paris, after speaking Hebrew at one of the city's train stations. According to his testimony, two men of African descent attacked him after hearing him speak, breaking his nose and causing him to bruise his face. Following the assault, the young man lost consciousness and he goes to the hospital.
The Foreign Ministry said: "The civilian has been released from the hospital and is currently in the police station and is complaining. The Israeli Consul in Paris, Michel Harel, spoke to the citizen and assisted him as far as possible."
Yaakov Chaguel, deputy and chairman of the Zionist Organization in Israel, said following the attack: "Unfortunately, it is dangerous to identify as a Jew on the streets of the cities of the world. Enough of Jewish hatred - I demand the world's customs to be tolerant of anti-Semitism. "
Just last week, the French National Assembly passed a resolution defining anti-Zionism as anti-Semitic. In favor of the proposal, 154 members of the National Council voted against 72 who opposed it. The statement, which also calls on the government to join other European countries in adopting the International Alliance for Holocaust Remembrance, was tabled by Sylvain Mailard, condemning "hatred for Israel justified by its perception of a Jewish collective", as it were.