Events for Sarah Halimi

On April 25, more than 26,000 people in France demonstrated to demand justice for Sarah Halimi, killed in 2017 in Paris. The slogan was: “Without justice, no Republic”

The purpose of the rallies was to challenge the decision of the Court of Cassation which confirmed the criminal irresponsibility of the murderer of Sarah Halimi, a sexagenarian of Jewish faith.

• In Paris, nearly 20,000 people were present at the Trocadéro, at the initiative of the collective “Agissons pour Sarah Halimi”. In the provinces, the number reached more than 6,200 people.
• In Marseille, they were between 1,500 and 2,000 (depending on the police headquarters), parading towards the courthouse. where a “Justice for Sarah” banner hung. Martine Vassal, who heads the Bouches-du-Rhône department, and Renaud Muselier, president of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d´Azur region, led the procession.
• In Strasbourg, gathering of around 600 demonstrators (depending on the prefecture) on the forecourt of the Great Peace Synagogue.
• Parades in Bordeaux, Cannes, Deauville, Lille, Lyon, Montpellier, Nice or Toulouse.
• A rally was held in front of the French Embassy in London and in Piazza Farnese in Rome.
• In Israel: Gathering of hundreds of people in front of the French embassy in Tel Aviv. They demanded a trial for the murderer of Sarah Halimi. Others took place in Jerusalem or Eilat.
• In the United States, meeting of demonstrators in front of the French consulates in Los Angeles and New York, as well as in Miami.
• In Canada, several organizations are offering a virtual solidarity rally on April 27 at 11 a.m.

LICRA has also launched a petition for the street where Sarah Halimi lived to bear her name.

The verdict

Kobili Traore savagely killed her neighbor, Sarah Halimi, doctor and daycare director. After his arrest and several psychiatric examinations, justice recognizes his criminal irresponsibility following an acute delirious puff.

As a reminder: On April 4, 2017, Kobili Traoré, a 27-year-old Muslim, burst into the home of his 65-year-old Jewish neighbor, Sarah Halimi. He blows her at the shouts of “Allah Akbar”, reciting verses from the Koran. He then throws it over the balcony of their HLM de Belleville.

On April 14, 2021, justice confirmed that the assassin suffered from mental disorders. His discernment was abolished at the time of the facts. The fact that his drug use may have been the cause of his mental disorder did not have to be taken into account in the decision of criminal irresponsibility. However, the anti-Semitic nature of the crime was retained. No referral to the assizes for Kobili Traoré, he will remain placed in a specialized psychiatric unit with safety measures. He has been interned there for 4 years.

Seize Israeli justice

The family of the deceased expresses their anger. She does not understand the verdict against Kobili Traoré and asks for another trial. If the French justice does not hear it, Esther Lekover, sister of the victim, intends to take legal action in Israel in order to obtain a trial against the murderer. One of the family’s lawyers, Mr. Francis Szpiner explained that Israeli criminal law provides that when the victim is Jewish and the crime is anti-Semitic in nature, Israeli justice is competent. And this, whatever the country where the facts occurred. This approach is part of simple recognized principles of international law. This is the case in a judicial investigation on an attack committed abroad, by foreigners with a French victim.

Criminal Irresponsibility Bill

A few days before the demonstrations, the Keeper of the Seals, Eric Dupont-Moretti announced a bill, presented at the end of May to the Council of Ministers. It aims to fill a “legal void” after the decision of the Court of Cassation. It is a request from Emmanuel Macron to change the law. “Deciding to take narcotics and then go ‘like crazy’ should not, in my eyes, remove your criminal responsibility. (…) There too, no false impunity”, declared the president.

Gathering of the Trocadéro

Nearly 20,000 people were present on the forecourt of the Trocadéro on Sunday April 25, at the call of the citizen collective “Agissons pour Sarah” and representatives of the Jewish community. The rally began with a minute’s silence for Stéphanie Monfeture. An Islamist terrorist stabbed this administrative agent last Friday, in Rambouillet (78).

Jonathan Behar, initiator and co-organizer of the event, noted a great victory. The crowd held up signs with strong messages. It read: “Judges, where is ‘your honor’?”; “Justice is dead with Sarah Halimi”; “The next Sarah Halimi will be Christian, Muslim or atheist”; “Whoever smokes a joint can smoke a grandmother” and many other slogans.

The objectives of the event: pay tribute to Sarah Halimi and demand a change in the law on the consumption of psychotropic drugs. The current legislation targeting the consumption of psychotropic drugs should no longer be used as an excuse to make people believe in the abolition of discernment. Thanks to this law. “If justice has not been done for Sarah Halimi, it will be done thanks to Sarah Halimi.”

Testimonials and documentaries

The rally began with the showing of various videos, including clips from the recent documentary “Sarah and the Others” by Alexandre Arcady, starring Richard Berry. Celebrities including Michel Cymes, Gilbert Montagné, Cyril Hanouna, Pascal Olmeta, Pascal Legitimus, Yvan Attal or Elie Chouraqui have testified in the videos.

First responders

The first speakers were the lawyers of the Halimi family: Me Francis Szpiner, also mayor of the 16th in Paris and Me Muriel Ouaknine Melki. Lawyer for William Attal, brother of Sarah Halimi, she took the floor to call for a review of the trial.

William Attal, brother of Sarah Halimi, then spoke, discussing the inconsistencies, details and horror of the case. He also announced that 2 key witnesses said they were ready to testify in court. He chanted to the crowd “Hope is you here” to thank them for being there.

Officials speaking

Daniel Saada, Chargé d’affaires of Israel in France spoke. Community leaders Francis Kalifat (CRIF), Joël Mergui (Consistory) and Ariel Goldmann (FSJU), followed. According to Francis Kalifat, “Sarah Halimi was the victim of a denial of justice and a judicial shipwreck.” “The new law must be named after Sarah Halimi”

The chief rabbi of France, Haïm Korsia, pronounced a psalm, then the prayer for the Republic, the Kaddish and the Hachkava. The Chief Rabbi of Paris, Michel Gugenheim and Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Buddhist and Muslim religious representatives including Hassen Chalghoumi (Imam of Drancy) surrounded him.

Journalist and director Cyrielle Cohen presented her work on terrorism in France. The intervention of Christophe Castaner, president of the LREM group at the National Assembly and former Minister of the Interior, followed. The start of his speech was a bit stormy. He then returned to the bill and specified that it had to be voted on before the summer.

Artists on stage

Arthur, Gad Elmaleh, Patrick Bruel, Amir, Michel Boujenah went on stage together. Arthur (Jacques Essebag) called for a change in the law. He was happy to see so many people (Jews and non-Jews) gathered. Gad Elmaleh said he was outraged by the court decision. The Muslim Youtubeur Ramous and Michel Jonasz also spoke, as well as Patrick Braoudé and Alexandre Arcady.

Philosophers’ words

For BHL, “a crime of this nature unpunished, it is all the French justice which loses its credit”. He called for the creation of a trial review committee that would come to collect new evidence.

Luc Ferry’s intervention was as follows. “When a Jew is murdered because he is a Jew, all of humanity is affected.” “As a humble ‘goy’ I claim the right to be just as hurt as the members of the Jewish community who are here and who luckily are not the only ones,” he said.

Raphaël Enthoven recalled the anti-Semitism of the murderer and his family, while denouncing the denial of the phenomenon.

Policies

Xavier Bertrand, president of the Hauts de France regional council and Valérie Pécresse, president of the Ile de France regional council, took the floor to show their indignation.

The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, announced despite the boos, that a rue Sarah Halimi will be inaugurated very soon, just as the president of the LICRA, Mario Stasi wished.

“We will never give in to anti-Semitism. The face of Sarah Halimi is the face of the Republic,” she declared.

Meyer Habib, deputy for the eighth constituency of French people living outside France. He had a first thought for the survivors of the Shoah present at the gathering.

Noémie Madar, president of UEJF, was delighted to see these thousands of people for Sarah Halimi and say no to anti-Semitism.

For Amine El Khatmi, co-founder and president of the Republican Spring, “you don’t have to be a Jew to be concerned by the fight against this leprosy of thought which is anti-Semitism. It is a universal fight”.

Morad El Hattab, geopolitologist, spoke before Béatrice Brugère, general secretary of the FO Magistrates union. Ellei reconsidered the decision of her fellow magistrates.

Yonathan Halimi, son of Sarah Halimi, closed the demonstration with a speech. For him, appealing to the European Court of Human Rights or to Israeli justice, as his family sees it, would be a failure. He calls for justice to be done in France.

Other personalities from the political, cultural and entertainment world were present. We could meet Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, Audrey Pulvar, François Berléand, Marek Halter, Bernard Montiel, Carla Bruni, Elie Seimoun, or even Serge and Beate Klarsfeld.

The crowd left the scene in peace after the Marseillaise.

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