Framed by the words "Long live Palestine" and "Free Palestine", the message leaves little doubt about the intentions of its author(s). "39-45 THE RETURN, BE PREPARED", is the inscription discovered this Friday on one of the walls of the University Paris-8, in Saint-Denis. The reference to the Holocaust is obvious. It was the Union of Jewish Students of France (UEJF) which, cliché in support, echoed this discovery on Twitter.
"It is a call for anti-Semitic murder and an apology for crimes against humanity," the student organization said. Neither the Palestinian cause nor any other justifies it. The University must file a complaint. »
Less than three hours after the publication of the UEJF, the faculty reacted, on Twitter too. "An anti-Semitic inscription has been reported on the campus of Paris-8, confirms the management. The University strongly condemns these acts and files a complaint. »
I condemn this unacceptable anti-Semitic act, contrary to the values of our Republic. The authors of this tag must be punished. The University is a place of emancipation and sharing. Hatred of others has no place there. All my solidarity with the teams of @UnivParis8 https://t.co/NkQXx38FAn
— Mathieu Hanotin (@MathieuHanotin) May 12, 2023
Half an hour later, it is the turn of Mathieu Hanotin (PS), the mayor of Saint-Denis, to express his indignation, still on the same social network. "I condemn this inadmissible anti-Semitic act, contrary to the values of our Republic," he wrote. The authors of this tag must be punished. The University is a place of emancipation and sharing. Hatred of others has no place there. »
A little over a year ago, the message "Hitler, you're the best" was discovered on the campus of the University of Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine). A year earlier, in April 2021, it was on the pediment of Sciences-po in Paris that one could read "hateful inscriptions, some of which are anti-Semitic," said a statement from the school.
