French, UN, Canadian leaders demand justice for Sarah Halimi

• Author: Arutz Sheva Staff
• Date: 26 May 2021
• Published date: 26 May 2021
• Publication title: Israel National News (Israel)

Thousands recently took to the streets in cities across the world and many more protested on social media to voice their outrage over last month's unfathomable French court decision to excuse Halimi's antisemitic killer, Kobili Traoré, from trial due to his consumption of marijuana on the night of his barbaric crime. Many thousands have since signed a petition calling for Traoré to stand trial.

Keeping the issue in the public eye and on the international agenda, especially at a time of relentless global antisemitism, the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF) and the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) held a special digital rally titled "Justice for Sarah Halimi: An International Movement Is Born."

French leaders focused on the destructive impact of the court decision on France and French society. Former French Prime Minister Manuel Valls demanded a change in French law and said, "We should never, ever forget Sarah Halimi. This [court's] decision hurts me, hurts us - citizens of the French Republic. It's truly a judicial and moral catastrophe.

"Antisemitism has been ravaging… France for more than 12 decades. This antisemitism comes from the far right, from the far left, from our working-class districts, from the Arab-Muslim world under the guise of hatred for Israel and for Jews, or simply hatred. We must eradicate antisemitism from our society."

Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo underscored her commitment towards fighting antisemitism. She commented, "Sarah Halimi was the victim of an intolerable antisemitic murder. We cannot accept it - Paris cannot accept it." She pledged to make good on her promise to name a street after Halimi, so that "The walls of our capital will show her history and her face." Mayor Hidalgo also praised the French government's recent decision to prohibit a pro-Palestinian protest, noting that during a similar demonstration in 2014 "horrible phrases were chanted, calling on death to the Jews."

Sarah Halimi's son, Yonatan Halimi recalled the values his mother stood for, saying "My mother always taught us to take responsibility… It is very difficult for us that today, the justice system, the authorities did not assume their own responsibility." He also warned that "each of us should guarantee his own security because unfortunately, security in France is not assured."

Renowned French philosopher, writer and intellectual Bernard-Henri Lévy said that the Sarah Halimi case "is a symptom of the depth of French society's...