A Holocaust memorial in central Lyon was desecrated with the words “Free Gaza” scratched into its black marble plaque, city officials confirmed Saturday, according to the AFP news agency.
The vandalism was discovered on a monument inaugurated in January 2025 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. A photo shared with AFP shows the inscription etched with a sharp object.
Mayor Gregory Doucet condemned the act in a statement to AFP: “The vandalism of the Holocaust Memorial in Lyon is an intolerable act. I condemn it and express my full solidarity with memory associations, survivors and their descendants.” He added, “The perpetrators will be sought and prosecuted. Lyon stands firm against hatred, antisemitism and racism.”
A city hall official emphasized the gravity of the incident: “The fact that this inscription was made on a Holocaust memorial clearly constitutes an antisemitic act.” The municipality acted swiftly to remove the inscription and restore the plaque.
The incident comes amid rising antisemitism in France, particularly amid heightened tensions following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent Israeli military response in Gaza.
According to France’s interior ministry, 646 antisemitic acts were recorded in the first half of 2025. While this marks a 27% decrease from the same period in 2024, it represents a staggering 112% increase compared to the first half of 2023.
This past week, twin brothers were arrested in connection with the desecration of a memorial olive tree planted in honor of Ilan Halimi, a young Jewish man brutally tortured and murdered in 2006.
The tree, planted in 2011 in the northern Paris suburb of Epinay-sur-Seine, was cut down earlier this month, sparking widespread outrage across France.
The destruction of the memorial has drawn condemnation from across the political spectrum. French President Emmanuel Macron denounced the act and vowed that those responsible would be punished.
French Prime Minister François Bayrou condemned the “antisemitic hatred” behind the cutting down of the tree.
“No crime can eradicate memory. The never-ending fight against the deadly poison of hatred is our primary duty,” he wrote at the time.