France Marks Vel d’Hiv Anniversary as Plaque Honoring Rescuers Is Vandalized

On Sunday, France observed the 84th anniversary of the Vel d’Hiv roundup, the largest mass arrest of Jews in the country during World War II. The ceremony was held amid reports that a Paris plaque honoring a couple and their daughter—recognized by Israel as Righteous Among the Nations for rescuing a 13-year-old Jewish child—had been vandalized shortly before the event. French authorities said the plaque will be repaired.

France Marks Vel d’Hiv Roundup After Rescuers’ Memorial Is Vandalized

The Vel d’Hiv operation took place on July 16-17 1942, when more than 4,500 French police officers and dozens of requisitioned buses rounded up 13,152 Jews, a third of them children, and detained many in the Winter Velodrome before deporting them to Nazi concentration and extermination camps. Arrests continued until July 20. The Vichy regime, which collaborated with Nazi Germany after the 1940 occupation, oversaw the raid. France formally acknowledged state responsibility only in 1995, when President Jacques Chirac apologized for the authorities’ role.

France Marks Vel d’Hiv Roundup After Rescuers’ Memorial Is VandalizedAssociated PressFrance commemorates the Vel d’Hiv roundup after a Paris plaque honoring rescuers is vandalized

Deputy Defense Minister Alice Rufo condemned the vandalism, emphasizing the state’s commitment to preserving the memory of the rescued children and denouncing all forms of antisemitism. French officials reiterated that the plaque will be restored and that the Republic will not concede to hateful acts.

France Marks Vel d’Hiv Roundup After Rescuers’ Memorial Is Vandalized

The incident occurs as France, home to Europe’s largest Jewish population, experiences a surge in antisemitic threats, vandalism, and physical violence following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel and the ensuing Gaza war. The vandalism underscores concerns that historical remembrance sites are becoming targets in a broader climate of hostility toward Jews.

France commemorates the Vel d’Hiv roundup after a Paris plaque honoring rescuers is vandalized

• “To attack the Righteous is to desecrate the entire universe,” — Alice Rufo, Deputy Defense Minister

Associated Press

• “The plaque will be restored.” — Alice Rufo

Associated Press

• “Their memory remains undiminished.” — Alice Rufo

Associated Press

• “The plaque will be restored. Their memory remains undiminished. In the face of antisemitism, in all its forms, the Republic will not yield an inch.” — Alice Rufo

Associated Press