Emmanuel Macron
Emmanuel MacronOREN BEN HAKOON/POOL

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday asked schools to hold a "discussion hour" on racism and antisemitism this week, after the rape of a 12-year-old Jewish girl in a Paris suburb, Reuters reported.

Three teenagers were arrested this week following the incident in Courbevoie, west of Paris. The victim told police she had been gang-raped while being insulted with antisemitic slurs.

The investigation centers on charges of rape, death threats and assault among other crimes, with an alleged religious motivation cited as aggravating factors, according to Reuters.

Macron asked education minister Nicole Belloubet "to organize a discussion in all schools on the fight against antisemitism and racism, to prevent hate speech with serious consequences from infiltrating schools," his office said on Wednesday.

Incidents of antisemitism have surged in France since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel and the war in Gaza which followed.

A recently published report by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) found that French Jews live in fear of antisemitism, with a majority having directly experienced antisemitism.

Previously, CRIF, the umbrella organization of the Jewish organizations in France, published a report which found that antisemitism in France has increased by 1,000% since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.