French Jews are forced to hide their names for fear of discrimination by couriers, taxi drivers, hairdressers and other service workers, GlobalEuroNews reports.
According to witnesses, since the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, people with Jewish names are increasingly being denied service, insulted or even physically assaulted.
Some French Jews change their accounts on platforms or remove their names from their mailboxes because of discrimination by drivers or couriers. There have been 1,500 anti-Semitic acts in the country since 7 October this year.
The results of a survey conducted in January 2022 showed that identifying as Jewish in public places in France is a risk factor and a potential for aggression. 74% of French people of Jewish religion or culture say they have at least once experienced anti-Semitic behaviour, ranging from ridicule to physical attacks. 48% of those surveyed sometimes do not risk saying they are Jewish, and 55% of parents ask their children not to wear any distinctive signs.
Yael from the Saint-Denis department says the new owners refused her service at a hairdressing salon, where she had been going for more than three years. According to her, when meeting in person, the owner of the salon said:
I can’t do your hair because I support Palestine and you are Jewish.
Days after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, a taxi driver at Orly airport refused to take a family travelling from Tel Aviv. The taxi driver told the father of the family:
Dirty Jew! If I took you, I would slit the throats of you, your wife and your children.
The family refused to file a police report due to “fear of retaliation”. Other users of taxi and delivery services have also experienced denial of service, insults or unfair treatment based on anti-Semitism. Incidents also frequently occur at the post office, especially when it comes to sending parcels to Israel. Parisian Rebecca said:
They often arrive a long time later, sometimes in poor condition, with the word ‘Israel’ crossed out and replaced by the word ‘Palestine’.
She said parcels and letters sent to Israel often do not reach their addressees at all.
