Lille, France – Vandals smashed dozens of gravestones overnight in the Jewish section of a cemetery in northern France, prompting a stern government response.
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About 50 gravestones were knocked over or otherwise damaged in Lille, regional police said. It was unclear whether it was linked to Passover, which starts Monday.
French President Jacques Chirac condemned "this unacceptable damage" and expressed condolences and support for France's Jewish population in a letter sent to the head of Lille's Jewish community.
Interior Minister Francois Baroin called it an "intolerable act" and pledged to mobilize forces to find those responsible. The city prosecutor put 40 investigators on the case. [AP]