BuzzFeed journalist attacked by far-right Jewish extremists in Paris

A leading French journalist working for BuzzFeed was attacked by far-right Jewish extremists as a mob tried to storm the offices of the country’s national news agency in Paris on Thursday.

David Perrotin was protected by police after being surrounded by a dozen masked men brandishing batons.

The Ligue de Défense Juive was protesting against Agence France Presse’s coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Trouble broke out soon after 8pm when about 100 people brandishing flags and letting off flares tried to storm AFP’s offices.

As the crowd approached the entrance to the building, opposite the Paris stock exchange, tear gas was sprayed in their faces, and skirmishes with CRS riot police broke out.

Some of the demonstrators were shouting “We’re coming to get you!” at journalists, while others screamed: “Islamic terrorists!”

The words “AFP collabo” were also shouted in reference to the French collaborating with the Nazis during world war two.

Perrotin was covering the violence using Twitter, and at about 8pm tweeted: “A demonstrator told me ‘I warned the LDJ that you’re here Mr Perrotin.’”

The journalist has frequently exposed the work of the French branch of the Jewish Defence League, which is banned in both Israel and the US.

Perrotin was set upon by the gang, some of whom were masked. After being attacked, he managed to shelter behind police lines.

In June last year two LDJ members in Paris were found guilty of placing a bomb under the car of an anti-Zionist journalist. They were given prison sentences, but one absconded to Israel.

Despite the group’s reputation for violence, police on Thursday allowed LDJ flags – a black clenched fist against a yellow background – to be brandished openly.

“We are here to show our support for Israel in our war against the Arabs,” one of the demonstrators said.

He added: “Journalists working for organisations like AFP support the Islamic terrorists and that’s why we have to fight back.”

The LDJ has also been involved in attacks on pro-Palestine media commentators and politicians, and has also ransacked Paris bookshops, exhibitions and fundraising events.

There have been several calls to ban the LDJ in France, but threats to do so by interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve, who condemned their actions as “excessive”, have so far not been carried out.

The LDJ’s official Twitter account criticised Perrotin as a “pseudo journalist”, and denied any wrongdoing outside the AFP building.

Perrotin’s whereabouts were unknown on Friday. Pierre Haski, another journalist who knows him well, tweeted: “According to the latest news, he’s doing well, but absolute support to David Perrotin who was doing his job.”

Cecile Dehesdin, editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed France, tweeted: “Thank you for your messages, David Perrotin is safe.”