Anti-Semitic poster in Paris
Anti-Semitic poster in ParisIsrael news photo: courtesy of EJP

Posters warning Parisiens to beware the “Jewish Mafia” (‘La Mafia Juive’) have been plastered all over the French capital and its surrounding towns since November 12.

The posters, which bear the image of three men standing proudly, describe a new book about “The Jewish mafia – the great international predators,” written by extreme right-wing anti-Semitic author Herve Ruyssen.

The commentary on the posters continues with a commentary on the so-called “crimes” of the “Jewish mafia,” which it lists as including “racketeering, weapons trafficking, murder by contract, drug trafficking, money laundering, casinos and discotheques, pornography, diamond trafficking, slave trade, third world plundering, art works trafficking and swindling.”

The organization the National Bureau of Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism (BNVCA), which monitors anti-Semitic incidents in France, was alerted to the presence of the posters by several Parisian correspondents.

The group immediately issued a statement, calling on the Paris public prosecutor to “initiate public action against Herve Ruyssen,” and asking to “prohibit and destroy the book which contravenes the anti-racist laws.”

Paris City Hall told the European Jewish Press last week that it had mobilized a unit able to intervene around the clock. “To date 38 actions were initiated to remove the posters,” EJP reported.

Although the Paris government’s response was prompt, BNVCA said the trend is disturbing. “What is new is that one dares to hang these posters, like in the 1940s during the war – even though they are in violation of our rules and laws,” the organization noted.