Protests in Paris because the suspect behind the murder of a Jewish woman is not being prosecuted for hashish intoxication.
On Sunday, there have been demonstrations in both France, as well as other European cities, as a protest against a court’s rejection of a case against a man suspected of killing the Jewish woman Sarah Halimi on April 4, 2017.
Halimi, 65, was pushed out of a window of his Paris apartment by a neighbor.
The suspected 27-year-old, Muslim Kobili Traore, is said to have shouted Allahu Akbar (God is greatest), while he pushed her to death.
France’s Supreme Court has now ruled that Traore cannot be prosecuted because he was heavily influenced by hashish, and thus he was not himself.
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Asks for change in law
According to the court, he acted in error and was insane at the time of the crime.
The decision has angered both the victim’s family, Jewish groups and many others.
President Emmanuel Macron has also called for a change in French law to ensure that people are held accountable for their actions, even if under the influence of drugs. Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti says a bill will be presented in late May.
Since the murder four years ago, Traore has been undergoing psychiatric treatment.
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Calls street
During Sunday’s demonstration, Christophe Castaner, group leader of Macron’s party en Marche, was present in Paris. The same was true of opposition politicians, famous actors and Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris.
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The latter also stated that a street will be named after Halimi.
– That’s how we give her justice, the mayor said.
Jewish groups say the ruling has made it less safe to be a Jew in France. In recent years, there have also been a number of attacks on French Jews, many of them committed by jihadists.
In February 2018, a judge ruled that the motive for the murder of Halimi was anti-Semitic. Jewish groups then responded that it took so long for investigators to declare the killing anti-Semitic.
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