A kosher restaurant on Avenue des Ternes in Paris’s 17th arrondissement was severely vandalized overnight from Thursday to Friday after acid was reportedly thrown inside both dining rooms.
Metal cutlery was left corroded, salt and pepper shakers were warped, and tables were covered with a white powder residue. The scene inside the restaurant, Kokoriko, near Porte Maillot, appeared devastated by the corrosive damage.
Employees discovered the break-in around 9 a.m. Friday when they arrived for work and found the door forced open. Inside, they were met with a strong chemical odor. A corrosive liquid had apparently been sprayed across tables, walls, and floors on both the ground floor and first floor. Staff immediately alerted authorities.
At approximately 9:50 a.m., Paris firefighters deployed a specialized nuclear, radiological, biological, and chemical response unit. Technicians from the Paris Police Prefecture’s Central Laboratory also collected samples of the substance, which initial analyses suggest was acid. Further forensic examinations are underway.
The Paris public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation for “damage to another person’s property by means dangerous to individuals, committed on grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, or religion.” If confirmed, the antisemitic motive would constitute an aggravating circumstance, punishable by up to 15 years’ imprisonment and a €150,000 fine. The investigation has been assigned to the 17th arrondissement police station.
This is not the first time the restaurant has been targeted. The owner had previously filed complaints, including after sulfuric acid was reportedly thrown at the facade on October 9, 2025. That earlier case was closed due to failure to identify the perpetrators.
The restaurant will remain closed pending cleanup by a company specialized in handling corrosive substances. The owner is expected to file a new complaint.
According to France’s Interior Ministry, 1,320 antisemitic acts were recorded nationwide in 2025 — a slight decrease compared to 2024 but still roughly three times higher than before the October 7, 2023 attacks in Israel. In the three months following those attacks, antisemitic incidents in France reportedly surged by more than 1,000 percent.
