The poster, published by Michel-Ange Flori, presents, according to the CRIF, “an anti-Semitic caricature explicitly directed against Jews” with the title “Rabbi Missile for schools, hospitals, etc.”
The Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF) Marseille Provence has announced that it is filing a complaint for incitement to discrimination, hatred, or violence against a religious group, following the posting of anti-Semitic images on two billboards in Toulon and La Seyne-sur-Mer.
The poster, distributed by Michel-Ange Flori, features, according to CRIF, “an anti-Semitic caricature explicitly directed against Jews” with the title “Rabbi Missile for schools, hospitals, etc.” The organization denounces the content as “unambiguously combining incitement to hatred, manipulation of religious symbols, and calls for violence against Jews.”
These visuals, described by the CRIF as images of “unheard-of violence and ignominious symbolism,” are part of a context of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, but divert these events to convey anti-Semitic messages.
The Var prefect immediately referred the matter to the judicial authorities in accordance with Article 40 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, a move welcomed by the CRIF. The Toulon public prosecutor is now in charge of the case.
This case comes amid a surge in anti-Semitic acts in France, particularly since the escalation of the Middle East conflict on October 7, 2023. Judicial authorities are becoming increasingly vigilant in the face of this type of content, which exploits international news to spread messages of hate.
The CRIF concludes its press release by recalling that in the French Republic, “no ideology of hatred can benefit from impunity,” describing this propaganda as worthy of “the darkest hours” of history.
The matter will now be in the hands of the courts, which will have to determine whether these displays actually constitute incitement to racial or religious hatred, an offense punishable by fines and prison sentences under French law.
