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Plaque Honouring 'Justes' Is Vandalized in Paris

The broken memorial to a family that hid a Jewish boy during the 1942 Vel' d'Hiv' roundup has drawn official condemnation and renewed concern about rising antisemitic attacks in France.

La plaque commémorative en hommage au couple de Justes, Arsène et Angèle Richard, a été vandalisée à Paris, le 17 juillet 2026.
"Je trouve ça assez inquiétant comme démarche", résume un témoin. [© Martin LELIEVRE / AFP]
Edmond Richemond avait 13 ans lorsque les Richard l'ont mis à l'abri chez eux.
Emmanuel Grégoire.

Overview

  • A commemorative plaque at 15 rue Louis Braille in Paris's 12th arrondissement was found broken and partly destroyed, with the lower inscription damaged, city photos and reporting show.
  • The plaque honours Arsène and Angèle Richard and their daughter Marcelle for hiding their neighbour Edmond Richemond during the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup, a rescue that earned them recognition from Yad Vashem in 2018.
  • Paris mayor Emmanuel Grégoire publicly denounced the act, called for continued fight against antisemitism, and said he reaffirmed support for the Jewish community after posting images of the damaged stela.
  • Residents in the neighbourhood expressed shock and distress, and reporting that the vandalism occurred on or around the 84th anniversary of the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup has intensified local concern.
  • Authorities have not announced an investigative outcome and the attack is being seen in the context of a sustained rise in antisemitic incidents in France, with 1,320 acts recorded by the Interior Ministry in 2025.