Why the felling of a memorial tree for a murdered Jewish man has caused outrage in France

He added that “all means are being deployed to punish this act of hatred” and that France remains “uncompromising in the face of antisemitism.”

Abattre l’arbre rendant hommage à Ilan Halimi, c’est chercher à le tuer une deuxième fois. Il n’en sera rien : la Nation n’oubliera pas cet enfant de France mort parce que Juif.

Tous les moyens sont déployés pour punir cet acte de haine.

Face à l’antisémitisme : la République,…

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 15, 2025

The olive tree, planted 14 years ago in Paris’s northern suburb of Épinay-sur-Seine was seen chopped down on Thursday morning, seemingly with a chainsaw, according to local officials.

What happened to Halimi?

Ilan Halimi, 23, was kidnapped in February 2006 after being lured by a woman working with a Paris gang. He was held captive for more than three weeks, tortured and later found by a railway line, handcuffed, naked and severely burned.

A picture of Ilan Halimi is seen at a makeshift memorial, in Sainte Genevieve des Bois, south suburb of Paris, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019 during a tribute ceremony (AP Photo)

He died on his way to a hospital.

Why was he targeted?

The gang’s leader, Youssouf Fofana, admitted that Halimi was chosen because he was Jewish, wrongly assuming his family would have money to pay a ransom.

The kidnappers demanded €450,000 (£405,000) from Halimi’s relatives, sending them photos and video recordings of his suffering.

Fofana was later sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 22 years. Other members of the group received shorter sentences.

Previous attacks on memorials

This is not the first time memorials to Halimi have been vandalised. According to the BBC, a tree planted in his memory was cut down in 2019. In 2017, a plaque was ripped from a wall and defaced with antisemitic writing.

In 2017, a plaque was ripped from a wall and defaced with antisemitic writing. (Photo: X/@MichelBarnier)

Leaders react

French Prime Minister François Bayrou said the tree “was felled by antisemitic hatred.” Writing on X, he added: “No crime can uproot memory. The never-ending fight against the deadly poison of hatred is our foremost duty.”

L’arbre pour Ilan Halimi, vivant rempart contre l’oubli, a été fauché par la haine antisémite. Nul crime ne peut déraciner la mémoire. La lutte jamais achevée contre le mortel poison de la haine est notre devoir premier.

— François Bayrou (@bayrou) August 15, 2025

Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez also condemned the act, saying: “Everything will be done to find the perpetrators and deliver them to justice.”