Up to 80 Jewish graves were vandalised in a small Alsace town overnight as France continues to grapple with soaring levels of antisemitism in the country.
Photographs from the scene showed swastikas and antisemitic graffiti daubed on tomb stones bearing Stars of David and Hebrew lettering.
President Emmanuel Macron was expected to visit the cemetery in Quatzenheim, a commune close to the border with Germany, later on Tuesday.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said he felt “indignation and disgust”, while Mr Macron tweeted that antisemitism is “the negation of what France is.”
His predecessors François Hollande and Nicholas Sarkozy were set to join thousands of protesters for a march and rally against antisemitism in Paris later on Tuesday evening.
L'antisémitisme est la négation de ce qu'est la France. En route pour le cimetière profané de Quatzenheim et ce soir au Mémorial de Shoah pour rappeler les faits, la morsure dans notre histoire de ces faits, et pour dire ce qu’est la République : un bloc face à tout cela.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 19, 2019
Monday night’s vandalism followed another weekend of antisemitic abuse during the “yellow vest” protests.
Videos showed protesters shouting “dirty Zionist”, “we are the people” and “France is ours” at Jewish philosopher Alain Finkielkraut on Saturday.
Last week, French Interior Ministry figures showed antisemitism in France had surged by 74 per cent in 2018 compared to the previous year.
