Paris
A young mother whose report of an anti-Semitic attack dominated French headlines this week has admitted she made the story up. The woman, 23, told police that six North African men robbed her on a subway train as she was traveling with her infant. Mistakenly thinking she was Jewish, she said, the men called her epithets and scrawled swastikas on her stomach. Anti-Semitic violence has become so common in France that the story seemed all too plausible. But police became suspicious after they could not find a single witness and files showed the woman had a habit of filing false mugging claims. Political leaders said the hoax should not weaken the resolve to counter anti-Semitism. If the attack had been real, said legislator Dominique Strauss-Kahn, “it would be the 10th or 20th attack of its type.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Today's political cartoons - April 21, 2024Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - devilish decrees, biblical blunders, and more
-
5 carefully selected cartoons about the Trump-Daniels jury selection processCartoons Artists take on a stress-free life, rare peers, and more
-
Loire Valley Lodges review: sleep, feast and revive in treetop luxuryThe Week Recommends Forest hideaway offers chance to relax and reset in Michelin key-winning comfort
