Jewish activists stand up for French Chechens after Dijon conflict

The community of Russian-speaking Jews in France has condemned the country's Interior Minister for his hostile remarks about immigrants from Chechnya after the riots in Dijon.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 14, in the French city of Dijon, a conflict occurred of members of the Chechen Diaspora with local residents of Arab origin. Policemen detained six members of the Chechen community.

The "Movement Against Anti-Semitism in Europe", registered in Paris, has sent a written appeal to Christophe Castaner, the head of the French Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), condemning his words about immigrants from Chechnya. On June 17, the Minister used the phrase "wild horde" in relation to the Chechens involved in the Dijon conflict.

"The 'Movement Against Anti-Semitism in Europe' and other activists, who are fighting against xenophobia and discrimination, are treating your public statement, in which the whole nation is called a 'wild horde', as shocking. After these words, French mass media began spreading false messages about the Chechens living in France. We would like to remind you that the great tragedy in the mankind history of the 20th century began because the entire Jewish population was declared by the authorities to be the nation of criminals. We demand from you not to make such scandalous statements anymore; we demand from you to ensure the safety of members of all national minorities," says the statement as translated by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 26, 2020 at 04:59 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.