Strasbourg's Old Synagogue memorial stone hit by 'vandalism'

A memorial marking the site of Strasbourg's Old Synagogue, destroyed by the Nazis during World War II, was apparently vandalised overnight, local officials said Saturday -- 11 days after a nearby Jewish cemetery was desecrated.

Police have opened a probe and a source said investigators would consult surveillance video and interview witnesses "to determine the origin of the incident, whether intentional or accidental".

Strasbourg deputy mayor Alain Fontanel told journalists in the eastern French city the incident was an "act of vandalism" that bore "all the signs of anti-Semitism".

Earlier on Facebook, he said it was "very probably, unfortunately, a new act of anti-Semitism in our city".

The region has witnessed a rise in anti-Semitic acts, the latest on February 19 when 96 graves were daubed with swastikas at a Jewish cemetery in Quatzenheim, northwest of Strasbourg.

Before heading to the memorial for an inspection on Saturday, mayor Roland Ries wrote on Facebook: "Once again, enough is enough." The site, he underlined, was itself "a response to such repulsive acts, simultaneously symbolising the exactions and horrors of the Nazi regime and the French people's power of resistance".

The 1.6-tonne memorial stone stands next to the Avenue of the Righteous, dedicated to non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust, Ries noted.

It has been moved back into place.

The synagogue, which was built in 1898 and was the Strasbourg Jewish community's main place of worship, was ransacked and burnt to the ground by Hitler Youth on September 30, 1940.

Fontanel said video surveillance showed that shortly before 7 am (0600 GMT) on Saturday, a car was seen near the heavy monument, and added: "We have to see now if it was this car that committed the act."
Israel's foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon tweeted: "Shocking images from Strasbourg. Anti Semitic hatred and vandalism are on the rise in France and throughout Europe."