Isère opens investigation after alleged antisemitic remarks at Les Deux Alpes café

Yesterday 13:15

By: Sahili Aya

Isère opens investigation after alleged antisemitic remarks at Les Deux Alpes café

French authorities have opened a gendarmerie investigation after a video showing a heated exchange at a café in the Alpine resort of Les Deux Alpes sparked widespread condemnation over alleged antisemitic remarks.

The incident, which was filmed by a Jewish man and subsequently circulated widely on social media, has drawn the attention of France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, who said the reported comments were incompatible with the principles of the French Republic.

Video triggers investigation

The footage shows a woman described as the manager of a refreshment stand speaking to a Jewish customer who is recording the exchange on his phone.

In the video, she appears to complain that members of the Jewish community are “too numerous” and that the situation has become excessive. Another woman intervenes in support of the business owner, arguing that she is entitled to decide what happens in her own establishment.

The man filming the exchange responds by pointing to the existence of laws governing such conduct.

The video has since been widely shared online, prompting a strong reaction.

However, important elements surrounding the incident remain unclear. A source close to the case told Le Figaro that investigators had yet to establish the precise context of the discussion or when the exchange took place.

Laurent Nunez condemns reported remarks

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said Saturday that authorities had acted as soon as the video was brought to their attention.

He announced that the National Gendarmerie had opened an investigation in coordination with the public prosecutor's office.

Nunez also condemned the remarks attributed to the woman, saying that the person involved would have to answer for what she allegedly said.

The minister stressed that such statements have no place in the French Republic.

His intervention comes amid heightened sensitivity surrounding antisemitic incidents and public expressions targeting Jewish people in France.

Investigators now seek to establish the facts

The opening of an investigation does not, at this stage, establish criminal responsibility.

Gendarmes will need to determine the circumstances of the confrontation, identify the people involved and establish the exact content and context of the statements recorded in the video.

The investigation will also determine whether the remarks could constitute an offense under French law.

For now, the images circulating online provide only part of the circumstances surrounding the confrontation. Authorities are therefore expected to rely on testimony and other available evidence before reaching conclusions.

The case has nevertheless already generated a political response, putting the small Alpine resort of Les Deux Alpes at the center of a national debate over antisemitism and the limits of expression in France.