A teenager accused of assaulting a rabbi in broad daylight in a case that shocked France went on trial on Wednesday, April 23, in the central French city of Orléans. The attack against the rabbi of Orléans, Arié Engelberg, took place as he walked with his 9-year-old son from a synagogue on a Saturday afternoon last month in the city, about 110 kilometers south of Paris.
After his arrest, the suspect told investigators at first that he was Palestinian, and then that he was Moroccan and 16 years old. According to his lawyer, the young man arrived less than a year ago in France, where he has no family. He is accused of "assault with a real or imagined religious motive" on the rabbi, as well as "psychological violence" against the rabbi's son. He has denied the charges, according to prosecutors.
He has also been charged with possession of illegal narcotics after being found with two grams of cannabis resin, as well as refusing to undergo police testing to establish his identity. The suspect had already been under investigation in connection with three other cases involving drug dealing, violence against officials and aggravated robbery.
Engelberg told BFM television shortly after the incident that his attacker asked if he was Jewish. "I said yes," Engelberg said. "He started saying 'all Jews are sons of..." he continued, adding that the teenager wanted to film him with his phone as he hurled insults. "I decided to act and I pushed his telephone away," the rabbi said. His attacker then "started punching and I protected myself."
As he arrived in court on Wednesday, Engelberg said that "strong responses" from the judiciary were needed in cases like these. "In a democracy like France you have a right not be attacked," he said. Two days after the assault, more than 1,000 people marched in Orléans in support of the rabbi.