Some thirty Blacks shouting anti-Semitic threats burst into the rue des Rosiers on Sunday 28 May, at the very heart of Paris’ Jewish quarter. According to police sources, this demonstration was organised by “Tribu K”, an “extremist group that promotes its black identity” on its Internet website.
According to certain witnesses, a few “individuals of African origin marched down the street dressed in black and armed with sticks and baseball bats, shouting ‘death to the Jews’ and other anti-Semitic abuse”.
Other witnesses, questioned by Agence France Presse, said they saw no weapons. They heard people shouting and calling for the leaders of Betar and the Jewish Defence League. “They were all huge, they were wearing black bandanas, it was very well organised, they had a camera and were filming everyone,” said one of the witnesses. The demonstration lasted a quarter of an hour.
The police “intervened very quickly” as soon as they were warned of what was going on and checked the identity of 19 people, seeing “no sign of weapons”, according to the police headquarters. Police presence “has been reinforced” in this neighbourhood. On Monday, Paris police indicated that an enquiry had been initiated following the lodging of an official complaint. Monday evening, Minister of the Interior Nicolas Sarkozy, asked for proceedings to be undertaken against the group “Tribu KA”.
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