It all began when an Irish citizen vacationing in France accosted a Jewish couple – Australian nationals traveling through the country – inside a packed supermarket. The two recorded the Irishman's shocking verbal assault, in which he made deeply disturbing remarks and threatened them with violence. The incident was condemned by France's minister for gender equality and the fight against discrimination, Aurore Bergé.
"I'll put a f***ing bullet in your head," the Irishman told the couple, after having said to them, "It's a shame Hitler didn't finish the job." Karen Ivers, who filmed the incident, posted the footage on X, where it quickly went viral and racked up roughly one million views within hours.
"The man from Ireland approached us because my husband was wearing a French national soccer jersey, and he clearly also heard us speaking English," Ivers wrote. "He made a joke and asked, 'Why is an Englishman wearing a French jersey?' My husband replied in a friendly way that he is Australian but liked the jersey, and since we are traveling around France, he was happy to wear it."
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The conversation then turned to Irish soccer before shifting to politics. Ivers said she told the man that her objection was not to the Irish national soccer team but to Irish politics, which she described as staunchly anti-Israel and supportive of Hamas and Hezbollah. According to her account, the man then turned aggressive and said he was sorry Hitler had not "finished the job."
"This incident must not be tolerated"
The antisemitic attack sparked genuine outrage in France. Aurore Bergé, France's minister for gender equality and the fight against discrimination, published a statement condemning the ugly attack. "An Australian tourist couple was violently attacked in a French supermarket by an Irish citizen. He allegedly made serious antisemitic remarks before issuing death threats against the couple. Part of this scene, filmed and widely shared on social media, demonstrates a chilling and unacceptable level of violence. Such remarks, which explicitly invoke the memory of the Holocaust, must not be dismissed or tolerated," the minister's statement read.
"Since October 7, 2023, and the antisemitic massacres carried out by Hamas terrorists in Israel, antisemitism has experienced an unprecedented wave in many countries. I have always been committed, and always will be committed, to ensuring that antisemitism does not receive even a drop of legitimacy," Bergé told Israel Hayom.
"Last February, I traveled to Israel – to the kibbutzim struck by the terrorist attacks and to the site of the Nova festival. There, I met with the families of the victims and shared in their grief. To all the bereaved families, the survivors, and those still carrying the wounds of October 7, I want to once again express my compassion and unwavering support," she added.
Bergé expressed a clearly pro-Israel position on the fight against hatred of Israel and of Jews, and said, "To the Israeli people, as well as to the French community in Israel, I want to reaffirm that France will always be determined to fight antisemitism. Israelis, like all Jews regardless of their nationality, are welcome in France. Every person must be able to live, move, and stay here freely, without hiding their identity or fearing for their safety. In the face of every threat, every insult, and every antisemitic attack, our response will be firm. In the face of antisemitism, as in the face of terror, our resolve will be absolute."
