A man who was photographed in October wearing a Manchester City jersey with the phrase "anti-Jewish" on a metro in Paris has been sentenced to a six-month suspended prison sentence by a Parisian court, JPost reported on Thursday, citing French-language media.
The 28-year-old, identified as Mehmed D. by French outlets and described as being of Turkish-Kurdish origin, was also ordered to pay a €2,000 fine after being convicted of inciting racial hatred.
The president of the court reportedly told the man that he was aware of the words he wrote on the jersey and their negative nature.
Reports indicate that Mehmed D. told investigators he was acting out of anger over the situation in the Middle East.
During the trial, he cited health issues as the cause of his behavior, but psychiatric evaluations requested by the prosecution reportedly dismissed this claim.
He further explained that he had intended to write "anti-IDF" on the jersey but was unable to due to lack of space.
"That may have offended Jews, I think. I regret my action," Mehmed D. was quoted as saying.
France, like many other countries, has experienced a significant rise in antisemitic attacks following Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent military action in Gaza.
Days after the “anti-Jewish” jersey on the metro, a Jewish woman living in Paris filed a complaint with the police after antisemitic graffiti was sprayed on the building where she lives. The graffiti included red swastikas and red Stars of David.
In mid-October, a visibly Jewish teenager was assaulted by two youths as he was leaving a metro station in the suburbs northwest of Paris
Before that, on the anniversary of October 7, a Jewish woman fell victim to a brutal attack at the entrance to her home in Paris.
She stated that three men attacked her, without provocation on her part. They threatened her with a box knife, uttered antisemitic threats, and even mentioned the events of October 7.
In August, a man verbally assaulted a Jewish family on the metro and shouted, "Hitler was right".