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16h ago

Paris Court Jails Four Bulgarians for Holocaust Memorial Desecration, Citing Foreign Interference

Judges said the red-hand operation was foreign interference intended to fracture French society.

Prosecutors believe the May 2024 incident may have been linked to Russia
A picture shows red hand graffitis painted on buildings' walls of the Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie street, in the area where earlier the Holocaust memorial was vandalized with the same red hand prints in Paris, on May 14, 2024. A French Jewish organisation on May 14 condemned a "hateful rallying cry against Jews" and Paris authorities filed a criminal complaint after red hand graffiti was painted onto France's Holocaust Memorial. (Photo by Antonin UTZ / AFP) (Photo by ANTONIN UTZ/AFP via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • The Paris Criminal Court sentenced Georgi Filipov and Kiril Milushev to two years, Nikolay Ivanov to four years, and Mircho Angelov to three years.
  • All four men were banned for life from entering France, with Angelov sentenced in absentia and still at large.
  • The court described the stunt as an operation coordinated from abroad with hostile intent to stir up public opinion and deepen divisions.
  • French authorities say the case is one of nine suspected foreign-directed stunts under investigation, possibly linked to Russian intelligence services.
  • Investigators identified the suspects via security footage and travel records showing a rapid exit to Belgium and flights to Bulgaria, while the newer foreign-power offense could not be applied retroactively.