An Irish man in his 60s was arrested in France, following the viral spread of supermarket footage from mid-August showing him launching into antisemitic threats against an Australian tourist couple in Avignon, including a threat to shoot a Jewish woman while referencing Adolf Hitler.
The incident, captured on camera by Australian tourists visiting the south of France, quickly ignited a national reaction among French officials. The confrontation unfolded inside a hypermarket in Le Pontet, on the outskirts of Avignon, after the tourist couple was targeted—with the husband wearing a French football top, according to the outlet reporting the details.
The Supermarket Confrontation and Arrest
In the video recording, the tourist woman asks the Irish national to repeat remarks made just before recording began. The footage captures the tourist stating, Paddy the Irishman has just told us he’s sorry that Hitler didn’t finish the job.
When the tourist presses him for clarification, the man tells the couple they are in Europe here before walking away. As the camera follows, he turns back to issue a direct, violent threat.
You get the f* away, before I put a f***g bullet in your head.
The unnamed Irish man in his 60s
Following the widespread circulation of the video online, French law enforcement launched an investigation handled jointly by the judicial police and the section de recherches de Marseille and brigade de recherches d’Avignon. The suspect was subsequently located and taken into custody in the Marseille area on Wednesday, August 26.
Government Condemnation and Legal Penalties
High-ranking French officials mobilized quickly after the footage surfaced. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced the suspect’s arrest on X, praising the gendarmerie for their swift investigative work.
Kudos to the gendarmes for their investigation following the antisemitic threats and remarks made against tourists this summer at a hypermarket in Le Pontet. Antisemitism must be fought firmly and relentlessly.
Laurent Nunez, French Interior Minister
Additional government condemnation came from Equality Minister Aurore Bergé, who described the encounter as displaying a chilling and unacceptable level of violence alongside Commerce and Tourism Minister Serge Papin, with both ministers condemning the incident with the greatest firmness. Bergé emphasized that remarks explicitly invoking the memory of the Holocaust must not be dismissed or tolerated. Papin similarly condemned the episode, stressing that France remains welcoming and that the Australian couple had been violently confronted.
A French government spokesman noted that the Australian couple was violently confronted in a French supermarket by an Irish national who allegedly made serious antisemitic remarks before issuing death threats.
Potential Prison Sentence Under French Law
While the man cannot be named for legal reasons, his legal exposure is severe. Public expressions of antisemitic hatred can be punished in France with up to five years in prison and fines reaching €45,000 (£38,000). Should the man be charged it is likely he will face trial later in the year.
Broader Context of Rising Antisemitism in France
The Avignon supermarket confrontation intersects with a heightened state of security across France. Jewish groups in France have regularly complained about anti-Semitism being on the increase, with violent acts increasingly linked to the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
Reflecting on this broader climate, Bergé noted that France will never compromise with antisemitism and hatred, adding that our country is particularly mobilised, especially since October 7, 2023 (the date of the Hamas attack on Israel) and will remain so for as long as necessary to ensure that no one ever has to suffer hatred because of their origin or their real or perceived identity.
