French Court Rules Against Antisemitic Motive in Strasbourg Student Attack

A French court has sentenced a woman to four months of probation and a fine of 600 euros for her role in an attack on three Jewish students at the University of Strasbourg in January 2024. The court did not recognize the attack as having an antisemitic motive, classifying it instead as a "group assault" stemming from a political dispute over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The incident occurred on January 28, 2024, when the Jewish students, Arthur, and twins Haya and Sterna, were removing anti-Israel graffiti and posting flyers calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas. They were confronted by a pro-Palestinian activist, identified as Malak M., who allegedly summoned reinforcements via a Signal group chat. Four masked men then arrived and assaulted Arthur, knocking him down, and Haya, who reported being beaten and thrown to the ground. The victims stated they were called "Zionist fascists" and "dirty Zionists" during the assault.

Of those involved, only Malak M., 23, was prosecuted and convicted. Another defendant, Ines L., was acquitted due to insufficient evidence, and the four masked assailants were not identified. The court accepted the prosecution's argument that the confrontation was political, not religiously or ethnically motivated.

This ruling has drawn sharp criticism from French Jewish student organizations, including the UEJF, which questioned how the attack, which involved anti-Jewish slurs while the students were advocating for hostages, could not be considered antisemitic. The CRIF, a central representative body for Jewish institutions in France, and the European Jewish Congress also sought to have the antisemitic motive recognized but were denied the right to join the proceedings as civil parties.

Notably, the University of Strasbourg itself initially characterized the event as an "antisemitic attack." Professor Michel Danan, then president of the university, condemned the incident in strong terms, citing the presence of new stickers on campus walls and calling the assault by six individuals, including the use of the term "Zionist fascists," an antisemitic act. He vowed full university cooperation with the police and stated his determination to combat antisemitism and racism.