Paris police question suspect over swastikas graffiti

PARIS (AP) — French police are questioning a man suspected of spraying swastikas near the Louvre museum in the center of the French capital, the Paris prosecutor's office said Monday.

About 20 swastikas painted in red were discovered Sunday on columns of the famous Rivoli street in Paris. Photos were widely shared on French social media.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin denounced the “hideous graffiti” on Twitter and said the alleged author has been arrested.

The city of Paris said an individual has been arrested by a security team patrolling in the streets. “Preventing these intolerable acts is part of their mission,” it said on its Twitter account, adding that cleaning teams would quickly remove the graffiti.

Earlier this month, anti-Semitic graffiti was found in a kosher restaurant in a northern district of the French capital.

A video posted on social media by the Union of Jewish Students of France showed the restaurant with anti-Semitic slogans and swastikas painted on the wall, broken windows and destroyed tables and chairs.

French police registered 687 anti-Semitic acts last year, from vandalism to threats to physical attacks — a 27% rise from the year before. Reports of anti-Muslim and other racist acts also rose.