French city postpones Israeli film festival amid Gaza tensions
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An Israeli film festival in the eastern French city of Strasbourg has been indefinitely postponed as the Gaza war rages, authorities said Friday.
The Shalom Europa festival has been hosted in the city for 15 years and was scheduled to be held from June 16 to June 20. But France has reported an increased number of anti-Semitic attacks since the Gaza war erupted on October 7.
The city council did not give a reason for the postponement but said Strasbourg "has always supported the Shalom Europa festival and will continue to do so. It promises to help hold the festival on a date that is opportune for the organisers".
The Israeli community group that organises the event did not reply to AFP requests for comment.
The Shalom Europa festival said on its Facebook page that "events" had forced the decision to hold the event at a "calmer" time, adding that "The safety and well-being of our participants is our absolute priority."
The French Jewish community, the third largest in the world, has for months been on edge in the face of a growing number of attacks and desecrations of memorials.
On May 17, French police shot dead a man who set fire to a synagogue in the northern city of Rouen.