Jennifer Djaoui – known by her stage name Shirel – received a phone call from Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin praising her for her courage “in the face of the insults” and stressing France’s stance against anti-Jewish acts.

 She also met Justice Minister Dominique Perben, who vowed that authorities would not tolerate the incident and that an investigation would be opened.

Djaoui, who hold French, Israeli and US citizenship, was subjected to cries of “dirty Jew” and “death to Jews” as she sang in the concert late Saturday in the western town of Macon.

Police and organisers said they believed the insults came from a group of North African adolescents near the front row who have yet to be identified.

Officers have asked TV crews present to supply them with footage of the crowd.

“It’s the first time that such a thing has happened to me in a concert,” said Djaoui, whose biggest moment of fame so far has been a starring role in a French musical of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”.

Dajoui 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