Irish Man Arrested in France for Anti-Semitic Threats Against Jewish Tourists

An Irish man in his 60s was arrested in Avignon, France, after allegedly making anti-Semitic remarks and threats toward a Jewish Australian tourist couple in a supermarket earlier this month. The man, who identified himself as Paddy, reportedly said, "It's a pity Hitler didn't finish the job," and threatened to kill the couple, stating, "I'll put a bullet in your heads." The woman recorded the incident, and the video quickly went viral on social media platform X, garnering around one million views within hours.

Karen Eivers, who filmed the video, explained that the confrontation began after her husband wore a French football team shirt, prompting Paddy to question why an English-speaking person would wear it. The conversation initially was friendly, with introductions exchanged and some light football banter. However, the discussion escalated into a political argument when Karen criticized Irish politics for being anti-Israel and supporting terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah.

At that point, Paddy became aggressive and made the threatening anti-Semitic comment. The investigation has been transferred to the Marseille and Avignon investigative units to clarify the circumstances of the incident. Authorities are continuing their inquiry into the case.