France: Jewish Man Attacked in Villeurbanne

On Friday, in Villeurbanne, a municipality in the Lyon metropolitan area, a Jewish man, distinguished by his kippa and Star of David necklace, was attacked by two men who had their faces covered. One man called the victim a dirty Jew and a dirty faf* while striking him in the head as the other man filmed the scene. The attackers fled, and the victim received minor head injuries.

The victim also stated that before running off, the men told him they were members of the Jeune Garde (Young Guard), a left-wing extremist group based in Lyon.

(*faf) An expression applied to one perceived as a right-wing extremist or fascist.

The article below from Europe 1 is translated by Fousesquawk.

“He was beaten up”: A witness reflects on the anti-Semitic attack that occurred in Villeurbanne 

Noemie Loiselle

13 April, 2025 at 18:12-Updated 14 April 2025 at 19:11

On Friday in Villeurbanne, on the outskirts of Lyon, a Jewish man was attacked by 2 individuals. On Saturday, the prefecture stated that an investigation has been opened after this “anti-Semitic attack”. A witness to the scene, the neighbor of the victim, recounts the attack.

A case has been opened after an “anti-Semitic attack” in Villeurbanne, on the outskirts of Lyon, the third in one month, the prefecture stated Saturday. “This anti-Semitic attack is the object of all the attention of the National Police, who have opened an investigation to find the perpetrators of this abject violence,” stated the prefecture of Rhone in a message disseminated on X. 

On Friday, a man wearing a necklace with a Star of David was accosted by two other men, one of whom punched him in the face while calling him a “dirty Jew”. At this time, the other filmed the scene, we have learned from a source close to the case. The victim was only slightly injured, according to the same source.

Face masked

The 26-year-old man still bears the scars of this assault on his face: A bruise on his left temple and a slight dislocation of his jaw. Still in shock, the victim told Europe 1 of his Friday walk, which he regularly does to walk his dog. Just as he was about to return home, in the courtyard in front of his apartment building, he heard someone running behind him. He then turned around and was violently struck in the head. 

According to him, this attack was “targeted”. “The one who attacked me had his face masked by a neck covering and a hood. He called me a dirty faf* and a dirty Jew, and a short distance away, there was someone else who was filming me,” he recounts.

(*faf) An expression applied to one perceived as a right-wing extremist or fascist.

“They noticed me and ran off”

His neighbor, Tom, heard the cries and saw the scene as he came out on the balcony. “He was slammed against a car and beaten. One (blow) to the jaw and two to the forehead. I only heard (them) say “dirty faf“. They actually noticed me when I was on the balcony. As a result, they left running,” he told Europe 1.

Before fleeing, the victim claimed that his attackers claimed to be with the Jeune Garde (Young Guard), an extreme leftist group based in Lyon. Today, the young man, kippa on his head and the Star of David around his neck, refuses to resign himself to no longer going out and suppressing his identity. Still, he has cut short his walk, fearing that the attackers will (attack) again. “They promised me they would return to kill me,” he confided.

Source: http://garyfouse.blogspot.com/2025/04/france-jewish-man-attacked-in.html