At least 10 Jewish homes and businesses in Paris suburbs, along with a synagogue in Rouen, have been defaced with antisemitic messages, according to French police.
The wave of vandalism occurred as the nation marked the somber 10th anniversary of the Paris terrorist attacks, including the assault on the Charlie Hebdo offices and a subsequent antisemitic attack on a kosher supermarket.
The acts of hate targeted buildings near the Hyper Cacher supermarket in Vincennes, Saint-Mandé, and Fontenay-sous-Bois - the same area where the 2015 attacks unfolded.
In Rouen, a synagogue and a rabbi's home were defaced with messages including swastikas and calls for Jews to be "gassed," said Natacha Ben Haïm, president of the Israelite Religious Association of Rouen.
The Rouen synagogue has been a repeated target of hate, with an arson attempt in May and graffiti during Hanukkah last December. Ben Haïm has filed a lawsuit against the unknown perpetrators for "public provocation of hatred."
"This is happening in a context of rising antisemitism in France," Ben Haïm told CNN. "I cannot stay silent — this must be known."
Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France, highlighted the chilling symbolism: "These attacks fall on the anniversary of the Hyper Cacher tragedy and target a synagogue that has already suffered arson."
* CNN contributed to this article.
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