Paris - 1,000 Jews Demand Justice For Man Who Was Killed

Paris - More than 1,000 Jews marched in the streets, demanding justice for Ilan Halimi, the 23-year-old Jewish man who was abducted, tortured and killed near Paris by an organised and dangerous gang last week.

Information on the demonstration circulated within the Jewish community through mobile phone and e-mail messages, although the spontaneous gathering failed to get support from any Jewish organizations.

Jews from every age and background participated in the walk under heavy rain.

A few incidents occurred at the end of the gathering. One of them was when a driver forced his way through the demonstrators and was chased down by dozens of young men who damaged the vehicle, and police got blamed because they didn’t prevent cars from circulating down the Boulevard.

The crowd ended its tribute to Ilan Halimi by observing a minute of silence in front of the mobile phone store where he used to work.

While until now three of the 13 people arrested have been indicted, French police were still hunting for Youssef Fofana, a 26-yar-old black African man, considered as the mastermind of the kidnapping ring.

Halimi’s abduction has sent a shockwave through France’s Jewish community, since Halimi and several other targets were Jewish, leading France’s Jewish community group, to issue an appeal for calm and caution.

But uneasiness was perceptible in the Paris synagogues over Shabbas, according to informed sources.

Jewish organizations have called for another demonstration next Sunday in the Paris suburb city of Bagneux where Ilan Halimi was detained and tortured by his kidnappers.

U/D: 02/21/06
The suspects "made it clear that he had attacked Halimi 'because he was Jewish, and Jews are rich'," Justice Minister Pascal Clement has said.