France marks attack on kosher market

France is marking the first anniversary of the attacks on a kosher market and the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.

France's prime minister lamented the growing number of departures of French Jews for Israel, as he and Jewish leaders honoured four people gunned down in a kosher market a year ago by an attacker claiming ties to the Islamic State group.

Saturday evening's ceremony was part of a weekend of efforts to ease religious tensions and mark the anniversary of the attacks on the market and the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.

Times remain tense for France's large Jewish and Muslim communities after a year marked by Islamic extremist violence that left more than 150 people dead.

Mosques all over France are opening up to the public this weekend to ease anti-Muslim sentiment and highlight the differences between jihadism and moderate Islam.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls joined families of victims and survivors to mark the anniversary of the January 9, 2015 shooting and hostage-taking at the Hypercacher market in eastern Paris, which ended with attacker Amedy Coulibaly slain by police.

"France would not be France" without its Jews, Valls said. He called it intolerable "to see French Jews leave their country, in larger and larger numbers, because they no longer feel safe" or at home.

More French Jews emigrated to Israel last year than ever before, according to figures from the Jewish Agency - some because of security concerns after last year's market siege.

Concerns about anti-Semitism in France had already been high, and 2014 also saw a record number of French Jews emigrate to Israel.

France's main Muslim body organised a mosque open-door initiative this weekend to reduce tensions.

Attacks on November 13 in Paris led police to conduct over a dozen raids on Muslim places of worship and close several over fears they were radicalising members.

French President Francois Hollande paid homage on Saturday to a female police officer, Clarissa Jean-Philippe, who was killed by Coulibaly in the Parisian suburb of Montrouge on January 8.

Hollande unveiled a memorial plaque and stood solemnly amid a rousing rendition of the Marseillaise.


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world