Jewish philanthropist Baron Eric de Rothschild suggests that the extent of antisemitism in France has been exaggerated . In an interview with '' The Jerusalem Post '' he says that " the one thing you ca n't say is that France is an anti-Semitic country . " In March 2012 , Mohammed Merah opened fire at a Jewish school in Toulouse , killing a teacher and three children . An 8-year-old girl was shot in the head at point blank range . President Nicolas Sarkozy said that it was " obvious " it was an antisemitic attack and that , " I want to say to all the leaders of the Jewish community , how close we feel to them . All of France is by their side . " The Israeli Prime Minister condemned the " despicable anti-Semitic " murders . After a 32-hour siege and standoff with the police outside his house , and a French raid , Merah jumped off a balcony and was shot in the head and killed . Merah told police during the standoff that he intended to keep on attacking , and he loved death the way the police loved life . He also claimed connections with al-Qaeda
opened fire at a Jewish school
Toulouse and Montauban shootings
Antisemitism