The nun, researcher at the French School of Biblical and Archaeological Research, was attacked from behind while walking through the streets of Jerusalem in the Mount Zion area. Forcefully pushed to the ground and then again reached by the attacker and kicked. An episode, as shown by the images of a video broadcast on local TV, which leaves you speechless due to the gratuitousness of the gesture and the violence.
The woman was rescued shortly after the incident and reportedly suffered contusions (bruises on the face), without serious consequences. The authorities have started investigations to trace the identity of the person responsible who was identified and arrested. It appears to be a 36-year-old man suspected of having attacked the nun. Israeli law enforcement takes “extremely seriously” any act of violence “motivated by potentially racist intent and directed against members of the clergy.”
While awaiting the judicial developments of the attack, Father Olivier Poquillon, director of the School, thanked “the people who came to help during the attack, the diplomats, the academics and all those who offered support”. The Israeli Foreign Ministry, in a post on X, spoke of “shameful act” ensuring that Israel remains committed “to safeguarding freedom of religion and freedom of worship for all faiths”.
An episode which, unfortunately, is not isolated, but – according to the Faculty of Humanities of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem – «part of a worrying pattern of growing hostility towards the Christian community and its symbols». Just think of the recent news events, from the decapitated crucifix in Lebanon, to spitting on friars and nuns and episodes of intolerance towards Christians both in East Jerusalem and in the West Bank.
The video of the attack
