Four French Jews, members of the Jewish Defense League,
attacked and vandalized a book store in France owned by a pro-Palestinian Arab
couple.
The four Jewish Defense League (JDL) members, age 16�26,
were arrested after allegedly breaking into the store on Saturday wearing
masks, smashing computers with clubs and setting fire to the books and merchandise.
On Wednesday, supporters of the store owners held a rally
outside the store, saying that supporters of Palestinian rights refuse to be
intimidated by the strong-arm tactics of the JDL.
The US branch of the Jewish Defense League has been described
by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the US as a terrorist organization,
due to the group�s use of violence to achieve political objectives.
In a 1986 study of domestic terrorism, the US Department of
Energy concluded: �For more than a decade, the Jewish Defense League (JDL) has
been one of the most active terrorist groups in the United States. . . . Since
1968, JDL operations have killed 7 persons and wounded at least 22 . . . Sixty-two
percent of all JDL actions are directed against property; 30 percent against
businesses; 4 percent against academics and academic institutions; and 2
percent against religious targets.� (Department of Energy, Terrorism in the
United States and the Potential Threat to Nuclear Facilities, R-3351-DOE,
January 1986, pp. 11-16)
The group was founded by Rabbi Meir Kahane, a right-wing
extremist who openly advocated the extermination of Arabs. In addition to
founding the JDL, he is also credited with founding the Kach movement, a
terrorist group that is banned in Israel for carrying out multiple acts of
violence.
In France, the JDL gained traction in 2006 when a Jewish
youth was killed in an anti-Semitic attack in Paris. The French Jewish Defense
League claims that they are not connected to the US Jewish Defense League, but
they have the same name and philosophy.
The bookstore attacked this weekend was also attacked in
2006 by the Jewish Defense League, but no arrests were made at that time.
Olivia and Nicholas Zamour, who own the bookstore that was
vandalized, told the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahranoth, �We saw here today for the
first time solidarity of hundreds of people for the Palestinian nation, against
the pro-Israeli French government.�
They
also said, about the JDL, �This is a fascist organization that does not hesitate
to attack people and places. They have no fear because, until today, no steps
have been taken against them. However, all of this is going to change. Three
years ago, they attacked our bookstore in the middle of the night and broke
windows. This time they did it in the middle of the day, fearlessly.�
