Anti-Semitic graffiti was discovered overnight Sunday to Monday on the billboards of Académie 2A, a health preparatory school located on Avenue Rockefeller in Lyon’s 8th arrondissement, Le Figaro reported. Stars of David, accompanied by the word “thief,” were found early in the morning by students, said Gérald Avakian, director of the establishment and elected representative of the 6th arrondissement, confirming a report from Le Progrès.
“This company was created by two 21-year-old students, one in medicine, the other in dentistry, one of whom is my son. They work night and day to help other students succeed in their first year. These tags have deeply hurt them,” he explained to Le Figaro, emphasizing that, although they are not Jewish, “they can’t sleep at night.”
A complaint was filed, and the Interdepartmental Directorate of the National Police (DIPN) opened an investigation to identify the perpetrators. The director today expressed his concern: “For now, it’s just damaged furniture, but I fear that one day these people will physically attack my son.” Following the police findings, the inscriptions were quickly cleaned up. This act comes at a tense time: on August 26, an investigation was already opened in Lyon for “aggravated violence against a minor based on religious affiliation,” after the assault of a Jewish teenager leaving a synagogue. Local authorities are calling for vigilance and mobilization against the rise in anti-Semitic acts in the region.
