Update: Woman Fabricated Story of Alleged Anti-Semitic Attack

July 14, 2004

Source: Voice of America

http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=93A0FCCE-E6BC-4C95-A0C7AEF9F7A23F8B

On July 14, 2004 Voice of America reported, "An alleged anti-Semitic attack that rocked France turns out to be a fabrication. Public opinion is now torn over whether authorities reacted too quickly and unfairly targeted the country's Muslim population. The story was horrific enough when details emerged in recent days. A gang of youths allegedly attacked a young woman and her baby early Friday on a Paris-area commuter train. They allegedly cut off the woman's hair, ripped her clothes and drew Nazi swastikas on her stomach. They allegedly selected the woman believing she was Jewish, although in fact she was not. The media identified the assailants as being of African and North African origins, and many French presumed they were Muslims. But suspicions mounted as not a single witness stepped up to corroborate the woman's claims, and train station video cameras did not capture any images of the alleged attackers. Late Tuesday, according to media reports, the women retracted her accusations. Her mother, like several other people who knew her, said she had a history of making up stories. Now, she could face up to six months in prison, and more than $9,000 in fines for her lies."