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| By: Associated Press |
| Published: March 19, 2006 |
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France saw a 43 percent jump in convictions for racist and anti-Semitic crimes last year, the justice minister said Friday, admitting the country has not been vigilant enough against this "blight."
French courts handed down 434 convictions for racist and anti-Semitic crimes in 2005, compared to 303 the year before, the Justice Ministry said in a report.
"Our society as a whole has perhaps not been vigilant enough in the face of racism and anti-Semitism," Pascal Clement said in a speech to prosecutors about hate crimes.
His comments come amid renewed concerns about anti-Semitism in France following the brutal kidnapping and slaying of a young Jewish man earlier this year, which caught the attention of top government officials. The gang accused in the case allegedly targeted him because they assumed Jews would be able to pay a large ransom.
"France has been touched recently by racist and anti-Semitic crimes," Clement said. "The fight against this blight must be ceaselessly renewed."
Clement implored prosecutors to act swiftly and firmly against this type of crime.
"When individuals knowingly commit barbaric violence, the state's reaction must be proportional to the event. Justice must be quick, dissuasive and it must remember that handing out strong punishment is a strong message to those who seek to destroy our values," he said.
The minister also urged a crackdown on hate speech on the Internet.
"A call to racial hatred on a blog or Web site has nothing virtual" about it, Clement said.
He also expressed concern about racism at sports events, especially soccer matches, and called a meeting with club chairmen and members of the French soccer federation board to work on ways to prevent the outbreak of racist behavior in soccer venues.
A total of 3,685 racist or anti-Semitic incidents were investigated by police around the country in 2005, including physical and verbal attacks on people and vandalizing of synagogues, the report said. |
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