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Nanterre Court Sentences Muath J. to 30 Months for Antisemitic Chair Attack on Rabbi

Judges balanced an official finding of antisemitic motive with conflicting psychiatric reports on the defendant's responsibility.

Overview

  • The tribunal imposed a 30‑month term with 12 months suspended and issued a 10‑year ban from French territory.
  • The court classified the assault as aggravated antisemitic violence and acknowledged altered discernment, resulting in a sentence below the 3 years and 4 months requested by the prosecutor.
  • The attack occurred on June 6, 2025 in Neuilly‑sur‑Seine, where Rabbi Elie Lemmel, 64, was struck in the face with a chair at a café terrace, leading to four days of medical incapacity.
  • Muath J. refused to appear at the hearing, having previously been hospitalized under constraint after his arrest and remaining in detention.
  • Two psychiatric expert reports reached opposing conclusions, and the court ordered €3,000 to Lemmel and €1,000 to the Organisation Juive Européenne, with the case file noting a similar chair assault in Germany days earlier.