The manager of a leisure center in the south of France who allegedly refused entry to a group of 150 Israeli children was charged on Saturday, August 23, with “discrimination based on origin, ethnicity, or nationality.” The 52-year-old man, whose identity was not disclosed, was released after 48 hours in police custody pending further investigation. The alleged offenses are punishable by up to five years in prison and a €75,000 fine.
The decision to charge him underscored the seriousness with which the case was handled. On Thursday, August 21, when a group of Israeli children, ranging in age from 8 to 16, was denied entry to the Tyrovol zipline park in the small village of Porté-Puymorens, gendarmerie units were dispatched to accompany the group to a different vacation destination.
An investigation was soon entrusted to a gendarmerie unit based nearby, who were assisted by investigators from the Central Office for Combating Crimes Against Humanity and Hate Crimes.
The next morning, the Perpignan prosecutor’s office provided a detailed account. According to the prosecutors, the park manager “told his interlocutors,” who had booked the day months in advance and were staying in Spain, that he was refusing them entry due to “personal convictions.” According to the report, the manager also invited his staff to exercise their “right of withdrawal,” or the right to refuse work in unsafe conditions.
‘Of the utmost seriousness’
The incident immediately sparked strong emotions in the region and beyond. French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau described it as “a serious matter,” adding that antisemitic acts have been “exploding” since October 7, 2023. “This is not our understanding of the Republic or of human dignity,” he said, insisting, “We cannot let anything go unchallenged.”
Several Jewish organizations and groups fighting antisemitism said they intended to join the case as plaintiffs. “This is of the utmost seriousness and it is reminiscent of the ‘No dogs or Jews allowed’ signs of the Second World War,” said Perla Danan, president of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF) for the Languedoc-Roussillon region.
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