French Jewish groups say attack on Paris teenager was motivated by anti-Semitism
Associated Press | Jun 22, 08 7:13 AM CDT
A Jewish teenager in Paris was beaten into a coma and hospitalized in intensive care, and Jewish groups on Sunday denounced the assault as an anti-Semitic attack.
Police said they detained five people for questioning, but were still investigating the reasons for the assault.
But President Nicolas Sarkozy, leaving for a visit to Israel later Sunday, issued a statement "renewing total determination to fighting all forms of racism and anti-Semitism."
The Union of Jewish Students of France said the attack had clearly been anti-Semitic, in part because the 17-year-old was wearing a skullcap when he was beaten Saturday night in eastern Paris.
CRIF, an umbrella organization of French Jewish groups, said about 15 people appeared to have ganged up on the boy. It was not immediately clear if any weapons were used.
The teenager's father told RTL radio that his son was in a coma. The Paris hospital network said the teenager was in intensive care at the Cochin Hospital in Paris. The family's identity was not released because the teenager is a minor.
France has western Europe's largest population of both Jews and Muslims. The nation faced a surge in anti-Semitic crime starting in 2000 after tensions between Israelis and Palestinians flared up in the Middle East.
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