An Irishman is facing up to five years in prison in France after being arrested over a confrontation with a Jewish woman in a supermarket, in which he allegedly told her he would “put a f***ing bullet in her head”.
The man, who is reportedly in his 60s but has not been named, was arrested on Wednesday following an investigation by French authorities.
Part of the incident, which took place earlier this month inside a supermarket around Avignon in the south of the country, was caught on film.
According to the woman and her husband, who are Australian, the confrontation began after the man approached them to ask why an “Englishman” was wearing a French national team football shirt.
The conversation then reportedly turned to Ireland's position on Israel, whereupon the man’s demeanour quickly changed, according to the couple.
In the footage, which was shared globally on social media, the woman filming accuses the man of having said: “I’m sorry Hitler didn’t finish the job.”
He is heard towards the end of the clip apparently telling the woman: “You get the f*** away before I put a f***ing bullet in your head.”
He also appeared to call the couple “f***ing pigs”.
The couple, who have not been publicly identified, are Australian tourists. Their Jewish identity was cited in reports about the incident and in calls for a French police investigation.
Public expressions of antisemitic hatred in France can see offenders sentenced to up to five years in prison and fined as much as €45,000.
Announcing the suspect’s arrest on Wednesday evening, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez praised gendarmes for their investigation into “antisemitic threats and remarks made against tourists this summer”.
“Antisemitism must be fought firmly and relentlessly,” he said.
The arrest followed calls from Jewish organisations and French officials for authorities to investigate the footage
A French government spokesman said the couple had been “violently confronted in a French supermarket by an Irish national,” who allegedly made serious antisemitic remarks before issuing death threats.
The investigation is being conducted by judicial police based in Marseille.
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