Jewish tombs damaged

[Christina]

Dozens of Jewish tombs damagedFrom correspondents in Paris April 02, 2007 MORE than 50 Jewish tombs were damaged overnight in a cemetery in the northern French city of Lille."Fifty-one tombstones were damaged, of which two were broken. The vertical part was separated from the horizontal part or broken," a spokeswoman for the local prefecture said, adding that none of the tombs were broken into.Police had opened an inquiry and called on any witnesses to the incident, which occurred in the Jewish section of the Lille-South cemetery, to come forward, she said. French President Jacques Chirac condemned the attack."Following this unspeakable and intolerable act, which I condemn in the most solemn manner, I want to express to you, as well as to the families, my very deep sympathy and my full solidarity with the whole of the Jewish community of Lille and of our country," Mr Chirac said.France is home to western Europe's biggest Jewish and Muslim communities. The number of anti-Semitic incidents in France jumped sharply in 2006-07, a Jewish group said in February. A young Jewish man was kidnapped and brutally murdered at the start of that year and the summer war in Lebanon appeared to bring an increase in attacks.