A French police car. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

The mayor of the southern French city of Nice has strongly condemned rising antisemitism in his country following an incident at a Jewish school in which a man yelling antisemitic epithets tried to break into the building.

Christian Estrosi — the mayor of Nice — declared on his Twitter feed that such acts were “intolerable.”

Referring to the attempted intrusion at the Or Torah School on Tuesday, and noting the “antisemitic threats” made by the offending individual, Estrosi said, “I condemn these intolerable acts. I cannot accept the rise of antisemitism in our country.”

According to local media reports, security guards at the school swiftly overcame the intruder and hauled him outside, where he carried on yelling threats and antisemitic invective. Police officers arrived at the scene quickly, and there was no direct threat to the children inside the school at any point during the incident.

Estrosi also paid tribute to the “professionalism of the officers of the Municipal Police of Nice and the National Police.” The school’s security guards, too, had acted “calmly and courageously,” the mayor said.

Philippe Meyer — president of B’nai B’rith France — said on Twitter that the attempted attack on the school was a signal to French Jews that “the antisemitic threat does not weaken.”

La menace #antisémite ne faiblit pas. Soutien aux familles des enfants de l’école Or Torah et à la communauté juive de #Nice. Au moment où l’inauguration du #CEJ à @Paris est une promesse d’avenir, le présent des français juifs reste préoccupant. @cestrosi @VilledeNice @CCastaner pic.twitter.com/QpZOxOEL8z

— Philippe Meyer (@philippemeyer92) October 29, 2019