Young French Jewish man beaten by gang, killed by tram, family claims

Jeremy Cohen, according to the report, was hit by a tram in Bobigny, a town in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France in February.

French flag in France (photo credit: REUTERS)
French flag in France
(photo credit: REUTERS)

The family of French Jewish man Jeremy Cohen, who died after being hit by a tram two months ago, stated:  "Jeremy's death is linked to an attack of which he was the victim - by a gang of young people immediately before being hit" according to a report by Radio Shalom in France.

Cohen, according to the report, was hit by a tram in Bobigny, a town in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France in February.

"You've probably heard of it, a young Jew dies when run after being hit by a tram in Bobigny" the radio's site stated on Monday, "Jeremy Cohen died after being hit by a line 1 tram. The victim, taken to the hospital in a state of emergency, did not survive his injuries. Against all odds, his brothers set out to find testimonies."

According to Radio Shalom, who interviewed the family, Cohen's family "distributed flyers around the city, asking the public for witnesses to come forward and collect videos of the young man's death."

The French Jewish news site added that "It turns out that he was attacked by a gang just before the facts" – according to testimony by his father Gérald, his brother Raphaël and other representatives of the community in an interview by Bernard Abouaf.

Far-Right Jewish French presidential candidate Eric Zemmour tweeted about the case, writing: "These images are chilling. The death of yet another of our children and the deafening silence on the facts revolt me. Did he die to escape scum? Did he die because he was a Jew? Why is this case hushed up?"

French MP Meyer Habib: "The circumstances of the death of Jeremy Cohen, a 31-year-old religious Jew, appear to have been much more dramatic. The victim, who according to all the evidence wore a skullcap on his head, tried to escape, as the video clearly shows, from a gang of thugs who attacked him. As he runs away from them, he did not see the train traveling in his direction. The pictures are awful.  It breaks everyone's heart. Today I turned to the interior minister who confirmed to me that the authorities take the issue very seriously and that the case is being dealt with by the justice system. I also contacted the Justice Ministry and I am waiting for his answer on the subject."

MK Yomtob Kahlfon (Yamina) who made aliyah from France added that "The incident happened a month and a half ago... only now is the story coming to consciousness in France - something that raises concerns once again about an attempt to cover up an antisemitic murder as happened with the late Sarah Halimi. I expect the French authorities to act to decipher the case soon and give explanations."