The report reveals details about the cutting down of an olive tree in tribute to Ilan Halimi, with French President Emmanuel Macron labeling the incident as an "act of hate."
France's Olive Tree Memorial to Ilan Halimi Vandalized
The olive tree planted in Epinay-sur-Seine, France, as a tribute to Ilan Halimi, a 23-year-old Jewish man who was kidnapped, held captive, and tragically killed in 2006, has been severely vandalized.
On the morning of August 14, 2025, a man carrying a backpack entered the site where the tree stood at around 1:50 AM. Security cameras caught him using a chainsaw to chop down the tree, leaving only a stump about 20 cm above ground level.
The act has been universally condemned by the political class, with French President Emmanuel Macron describing it as an attempt to "kill him for a second time." Prime Minister François Bayrou called it an instance of "anti-Semitic hate," while Minister of National Education Elisabeth Borne deplored it as a symbol of hope in the face of barbarism.
This vandalism is part of a troubling pattern. In 2019, two other memorial trees honoring Halimi near the location where he was found also suffered similar fates. Earlier incidents of antisemitic attacks linked to his memory include the destruction of a commemorative plaque in 2017, vandalized with antisemitic graffiti near Paris.
The repeated attacks demonstrate ongoing antisemitic hostility connected to Halimi’s legacy in France. Raphaël Glucksmann, a deputy of La République en Marche, called for an "unceasing struggle against the antisemitic scum," while Eric Ciotti (New Window) saw the act as an "abominable symbol of the explosion of antisemitism in our country."
The investigation has been entrusted to the territorial police of Seine-Saint-Denis, and officials have promised to identify those responsible and replace the tree swiftly. Mathieu Hanotin, president of the territorial public establishment Plaine Commune, has committed to ensuring a new commemorative tree is planted as soon as possible.
The Chief Rabbi of France, Haim Korsia, also visited the site of the chopped down olive tree, expressing his condolences and solidarity with the Jewish community. Olivier Faure, the first secretary of the Socialist Party, expressed his "shame" towards the antisemitic vandal, while Antoine Léaument, a deputy of La France insoumise, expressed his "great anger" and his "full support for our Jewish compatriots."
Julien Charles, the prefect of Seine-Saint-Denis, and Paris Police Chief Laurent Nuñez have also condemned the incident. Julien Odoul, spokesperson for Rassemblement national, denounced the "antisemitic scum" that "targets all Jews in France."
[1] Le Monde, "L'arbre commémoratif d'Ilan Halimi vandalisé à Epinay-sur-Seine," August 14, 2025. [2] Le Figaro, "L'arbre commémoratif d'Ilan Halimi vandalisé à Epinay-sur-Seine," August 14, 2025. [3] France 24, "L'arbre commémoratif d'Ilan Halimi vandalisé à Epinay-sur-Seine," August 14, 2025.
[1] This act of vandalism against the olive tree memorializing Ilan Halimi is not an isolated incident, falling under the umbrella of wider issues such as crime-and-justice, politics, general-news, and war-and-conflicts.
[2] As the investigation progresses, it may uncover connections between this crime and other instances of anti-Semitic hate, underlining the need for continuous efforts in the struggle against such acts (other).
