A young Jewish girl, 12, was allegedly gang raped by two adolescent boys in a Paris suburb on Saturday. Authorities described the attack as religion-motivated violence.
The two suspects were arrested and charged on Tuesday with aggravated gang rape on a minor younger than 15, violence and public insult motivated by religion, death threats, attempted extortion and unlawfully recording or broadcasting sexual images, per CBS News.
A third adolescent boy was named as an assisting witness to the gang rape and was placed in a special education program.
Prosecutors said the victim told police she was gang raped by boys using antisemitic slurs. The victim's lawyer said the suspects had referenced the war in Gaza during the attack.
The alleged gang rape occurred in the town of Courbevoie on Saturday. The regional prosecutor's office said authorities initially detained three boys, aged 12 and 13. The nationalities and religious identities of the suspects are currently unknown.
The attack was met with widespread shock and concern, particularly in light of the recent increase in antisemitic incidents in France since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the act of violence and his office said Wednesday that he had asked education minister Nicole Belloubet "to organize a discussion in all schools on the fight against antisemitism and racism, to prevent hate speech with serious consequences from infiltrating schools."
The French Jewish community was outraged over the attack and protested outside Paris City Hall for a demonstration condemning antisemitic violence and threats.
"This could have been your sister," read a sign one of the protesters held up, the network reported.
The prosecutor's office said that the two boys are being held in custody pending further investigation.
The two suspects were arrested and charged on Tuesday with aggravated gang rape on a minor younger than 15, violence and public insult motivated by religion, death threats, attempted extortion and unlawfully recording or broadcasting sexual images, per CBS News.
A third adolescent boy was named as an assisting witness to the gang rape and was placed in a special education program.
Prosecutors said the victim told police she was gang raped by boys using antisemitic slurs. The victim's lawyer said the suspects had referenced the war in Gaza during the attack.
The alleged gang rape occurred in the town of Courbevoie on Saturday. The regional prosecutor's office said authorities initially detained three boys, aged 12 and 13. The nationalities and religious identities of the suspects are currently unknown.
The attack was met with widespread shock and concern, particularly in light of the recent increase in antisemitic incidents in France since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the act of violence and his office said Wednesday that he had asked education minister Nicole Belloubet "to organize a discussion in all schools on the fight against antisemitism and racism, to prevent hate speech with serious consequences from infiltrating schools."
The French Jewish community was outraged over the attack and protested outside Paris City Hall for a demonstration condemning antisemitic violence and threats.
"This could have been your sister," read a sign one of the protesters held up, the network reported.
The prosecutor's office said that the two boys are being held in custody pending further investigation.
