Two Arabs and a black man from a Muslim gang were arrested
and charged with assaulting Rudy Ilan Haddad, 17, in Paris'
19th arrondissement. The first brought before the police
lineup was a hulking skinhead who was identified as a career
soldier in the French military. Fouad O., 26, was brought
before the investigating judge as the primary suspect who
allegedly struck Ilan Haddad on the head with a metal rod as
he was on his way to the shul. The Arab soldier
continued hitting the victim even after he lost
consciousness, nearly killing him.
Last week policemen raided his parents' apartment, but didn't
find him there. Later armed policemen arrested him while
sleeping in his quarters at a French Air Force base, where he
serves as a technician.
The fact that this time the French police made a concerted
effort to arrest a suburban Arab who attacked a Jew indicates
a change in government policy. Previously the government
would try to downplay the severity of violent attacks against
Jews. Still, the press is depicting the assault as a fight
between Muslim and Jewish gangs.
According to reports President Sarkozy himself ordered the
three arrested. The judge charged Fouad with "attempted
murder and collective violence with antisemitic overtones
under aggravated circumstances," as the charge sheet reads,
and ordered his arrest for interrogation. The antisemitism
she noted makes the charges more severe. His parents claimed
he lived on the violent fringes of society until he enlisted
in the military as a technician.
Another Muslim, referred to as Sekou M., is facing the same
charges. He admits he was present when the group of Arabs and
Africans attacked Haddad, but claims he stood off to the side
and was not among the three assailants. The police reported
he has a criminal record. The third suspect, a 27-year-old
from Mali, was accused of injuring another Jew on that same
Shabbos with a machete. Despite being charged with excessive
violence he was released immediately. The judge rejected the
prosecutor's request to keep him in custody as a menace. She
also released four other suspects following their arrests for
interrogation.
Despite the grave-sounding charges the assailants won't rot
in jail for years pending trial, as is common in France,
sometimes even in the case of light charges. But not for
assaulting Jews. Five other Arabs charged with attempted
murder were released one day after their arrest and were back
on the streets. Judges don't stand up to the pressure, taking
pity on the assailants and releasing them from custody.
The background and ages of the three suspects disprove
reporters' claim the attack was part of a turf battle between
local gangs, since the suspects are already several years
past adolescence. Still, journalists insist on referring to
them as "youths."
The victim, Rudy Haddad, was discharged from the hospital.
His mother reports he suffers from memory loss and headaches.
She accused the press of disseminating false reports. Her son
was making his way to the synagogue alone when he was
attacked and does not belong to a gang, not even Beitar. He
had never been involved in gang fights. "It's not enough that
they almost killed my son, but now they're also defaming him
and tainting his reputation," she told a Jewish radio
station.
