French President Emmanuel Macron is calling for a change in his country’s legal system after it was ruled an anti-Semitic killer will not stand trial because he had taken cannabis before he committed his crime and therefore was deemed not responsible for his actions.

The Jewish community was shocked to learn last week that Kobili Traore, a Malian immigrant, would not be tried for the brutal murder of Sarah Halimi, a 65-year-old Orthodox Jewish woman whom he viciously beat for over thirty minutes in her Paris apartment before throwing her out of a window to her death.

Traore admitted to the murder that took place in 2017. A French court ruled that he had “voluntarily ended the life of Sarah Halimi” and said it was partly linked with his anti-Semitic views. There are numerous witness accounts that Traore verbally abused his victim in the weeks leading up to the attack, showing his anti-Semitic attitude towards her. All the evidence is there, but Traore, who is currently being held in a psychiatric ward, will not be standing trial because in France a suspect is not held accountable for their actions if they are carried out after the person has smoked weed.

This decision has understandably shocked France’s Jewish community and President Emmanuel Macron is now seeking a change in the law.

Macron said France “does not judge citizens who are sick, we treat them… But deciding to take drugs and then ‘going crazy’ should not, in my opinion, take away your criminal responsibility.”

The president also attempted to assure the Jewish community by saying, “It’s not for me to comment on a court decision, but I would like to express to the family, to the relatives of the victim, and to all our Jewish citizens who were waiting for a trial, my warm support and the Republic’s determination to protect them.”

“I would like Justice Minister [Eric Dupond-Moretti] to present a change in the law as soon as possible,” Macron said.

There is a big push right now in Western nations for cannabis (also known as marijuana) to be legalised meaning the usage of this drug will only increase. And while campaigners say the drug is not dangerous, criminals could exploit the use of it to cover their crimes. It sets a dangerous precedent.

More troubling is the effect this ruling will have on France’s Jewish community which is already feeling vulnerable. After all, when a Jewish woman can be brutally murdered in her own home by an anti-Semite who confesses to the murder and the country’s court allows him to walk free, it does not give the impression that Jews are valued or protected. Therefore, it is right for Macron to challenge this law and seek to reassure the Jewish community that things will change.

 

Related Articles:

Stand with Israel and the Jewish People

When God called Israel to be His Chosen People through His eternal and unconditional covenant with Abraham, it was so that His glory, faithfulness, and righteousness would be revealed to...

The UN has a blood libel problem that’s getting worse

The hatred against Jews that once festered in shadowy corners of the internet is now pouring into the mainstream. It is deeply disheartening to witness the flood of...

Ireland wants to redefine ‘genocide’, but antisemitism is defining Ireland

The mental gymnastics occurring inside the antisemitic political world are, well, mind-boggling. The Republic of Ireland has been vocally accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza...

Pastor John Hagee’s statement after two Israeli embassy staff were killed in DC

This week, in the United States capital city, a terrorist murdered two young Israeli Embassy staffers, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, and wounded four others outside of...

UK and world duped by antisemitic blood libel about 14,000 babies

When the UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said in a BBC interview, “There are 14,000 babies that will die in the next 48 hours unless we can reach them,” he made a shocking and false...