Five held for insulting Jewish singer

DIJON, France, Feb 4 (AFP) – French police said Wednesday they had arrested five youths believed to have made anti-Semitic insults and threats to a Jewish singer during a weekend charity concert.

They said the five, four of whom are minors, could be placed under criminal investigation for making racist comments or inciting racial hatred.

Police on Wednesday also took a deposition from the 25-year-old singer, Jennifer Djaoui – known by her stage name Shirel – who was subjected to cries of “dirty Jew” and “death to Jews” during her performance in the concert in Macon last Saturday.

The five suspects were identified by video footage from TV crews at the concert, which was attended by several VIPs, including President Jacques Chirac’s wife Bernadette.Djaoui, who holds French, Israeli and US citizenship, converted to Judaism seven years ago after her father, a French producer, went to live in Israel, where she now spends most of her time. Her mother is Jeane Manson, a French pop singer of the 1990s.

© AFP

Subject: France news