PARIS: Three Bulgarian men are on trial in Paris this week for alleged involvement in spray-painting blood-red hands on the city’s Holocaust Memorial, an act of vandalism that French intelligence services link to a campaign by Russia to destabilize France and other Western societies.
Some 500 red hands were painted last year on a wall honoring those who helped rescue Jews during World War II and around nearby Paris neighborhoods. The graffiti was initially viewed in the context of the war in Gaza, which has led to a rise in antisemitic incidents and tensions around Europe.
But French intelligence services say the red hands were part of a strategy by Russia to use paid proxies to divide public opinion, stoke social tensions and spread false information, according to court documents. Governments across Europe have accused Russia in recent years of a campaign of sabotage that has included paying people to commit acts of vandalism, arson and bombing attempts.
Two defendants showed contrition
Four Bulgarians are charged in the Holocaust Memorial case, but only three are in custody and were present for this week’s trial. The alleged ringleader, Mircho Angelov, is at large.
The first to testify, Georgi Filipov, said he painted the red hands in exchange for 1,000 euros to help pay child support for his 9-year-old son. He said he was paid by Angelov, and did not address accusations of Russian involvement.
“I acknowledge having participated in these acts. I formally apologize to the victims, andI apologize for the damage. I also apologize to the French authorities,” he told the court through translators.
Filipov said he was a former neo-Nazi and that he might have been recruited because his social media feeds showed him with neo-Nazi tattoos and a t-shirt praising Hitler. He described the tattoos as a “bad choice from my past.”
Kiril Milushev testified that he filmed the graffiti at Angelov’s instruction in exchange for 500 euros. “I regret having participated in this act,” he told the court.
Another defendant remained defiant
The third defendant, Nikolay Ivanov, was questioned about his role in four incidents of alleged Russian interference. Born in the city of Luhansk in now-Russian occupied eastern Ukraine, Ivanov denied any pro-Russian connections or sentiments, and any responsibility for the red-hands graffiti.
In the Paris case, he is accused of recruiting the others and buying them plane and bus tickets for the other defendants to travel from the Bulgarian capital Sofia to Brussels and then Paris, and paying for their Paris hotel. He said he did so at Angelov’s request, and had only “rendered a service to a friend.”
Prosecutors and plaintiffs lament the impact
Prosecutor Camille Poch said the Holocaust Memorial was chosen as a target as a ‘’means to create chaos.” She told the court Thursday that the case wasn’t just about graffiti, but about the broader repercussions of Russian interference, which she said is ‘’multiplying.”
Plaintiffs include the Paris Holocaust Memorial and the League against Racism and Antisemitism. Testifying Thursday, memorial director Jacques Fredj decried the defacing of ‘’a site where we teach tolerance, and we fight against all kinds of discrimination.” The memorial was targeted again this year.
The suspects face charges including criminal conspiracy or aggravated degradation of property based on race, ethnicity or religion. The prosecutor is seeking four-year prison terms for Ivanov and Angelov, and two years for Filipov and Milushev.
It was one of several strange incidents
The red hands graffiti was among several incidents over the past two years in France that bear hallmarks of destabilization campaigns, and the first to come to trial. Among others:
In October 2023, soon after the start of the Israel-Hamas war, stencils of blue Stars of David appeared on Paris buildings. French authorities accused Russian security services of stirring up controversy around the stars. Two Moldovans were detained and deported in the case.
In June 2024, five coffins appeared at the foot of the Eiffel Tower with references to Ukraine ahead of a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Filipov, the defendant in the red hands case, said he was initially recruited to transport the coffins but testified that he backed out when he was told to put them beneath the famous Paris landmark. Three other men, born in Bulgaria, Germany and Ukraine, are suspected in the case, and a warrant has been issued for their arrest, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Unusual spray-painted images and messages with references to Ukraine appeared on the streets of Paris a few days later, as Zelensky met with then-US President Joe Biden in the French capital. Three Moldovans are in custody pending further investigation.
And last month, severed pigs’ heads were found near nine Paris-area mosques, five of which had Macron’s name written on them. An investigation is under way.
A French trial examines Holocaust Memorial graffiti believed linked to Russia
https://arab.news/46ecu
A French trial examines Holocaust Memorial graffiti believed linked to Russia
- Graffiti initially viewed in the context of the war in Gaza, which has led to a rise in antisemitic incidents and tensions around Europe
- But French intel services see Russian hand meant to divide public opinion, stoke social tensions and spread false information
Stars and royals gather for the BAFTA film awards, with ‘One Battle’ and ‘Sinners’ leading the race
LONDON: Hollywood stars and British celebrities, from Paddington Bear to the Princess of Wales, gathered Sunday for the British Academy Film Awards, where politically charged thriller “One Battle After Another” and blues-steeped epic “Sinners” led the field of nominees.
The two films snagged early prizes, with Wunmi Mosaku taking the supporting actress award for “Sinners,” and Sean Penn winning the supporting actor trophy for “One Battle After Another.”
Oddsmakers suggest Shakespearean family tragedy “Hamnet” could beat the front-runners to best picture if British film industry voters respond to the emotionally rich story, earthy English setting and intense performances in Chloé Zhao’s adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s historical novel.
Stars including Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothée Chalamet, Emma Stone, Cillian Murphy, Glenn Close and Ethan Hawke were among those walking the red carpet outside London’s Royal Festival Hall before a black-tie ceremony hosted by Scottish actor Alan Cumming.
Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales also attended, three days after William’s uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested by police and held for 11 hours over allegations he sent sensitive government information to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The scandal has rocked the royal family led by King Charles III, though William and Kate remain popular standard-bearers for the monarchy. William is due to present an award in his role as president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
Among the biggest receptions from gathered fans was for Paddington, the puppet bear who stars in a musical stage adaption of the beloved children’s classic.
Oscars bellwether
“One Battle” has 14 nominations, including best picture and acting nods for five of its cast. “Sinners” is just behind with 13, while “Hamnet” and the ping-pong odyssey “Marty Supreme” each have 11 nominations.
Guillermo del Toro’s reimagining of “Frankenstein” and Norwegian family drama ” Sentimental Value” each got eight nominations.
The British prizes, officially called the EE BAFTA Film Awards, often provide hints about who will win at Hollywood’s Academy Awards, held this year on March 15. In the Oscar nominations, “Sinners” leads the race with a record 16 nominations, followed by “One Battle After Another” with 13.
Cumming told the audience that it had been a strong year for cinema, if not a cheerful one, with nominated films tackling themes including child death, racism and political violence:
“Watching the films this year was like taking part in a collective nervous breakdown,” he said. “It’s almost as though there are events going on in the real world that are influencing filmmakers.”
The BAFTA best film nominees are “One Battle After Another,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “Sinners” and “Sentimental Value.” The BAFTAs also have a distinctly British accent, with a separate category for best British film. Its 10 nominees include “The Ballad of Wallis Island,” “Pillion,” “I Swear” and “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.”
Directing contenders are Paul Thomas Anderson for “One Battle,” Josh Safdie for “Marty Supreme,” Ryan Coogler for “Sinners,” Yorgos Lanthimos for dystopian tragicomedy “Bugonia,” Joachim Trier for “Sentimental Value” and Zhao for “Hamnet.” Zhao will be the first female director to win two BAFTAs if she takes the prize. She won the directing award in 2021 for “Nomadland.”
Best leading actor nominees are bookies’ favorite Chalamet for “Marty Supreme,” DiCaprio for “One Battle After Another,” Ethan Hawke for Broadway biopic “Blue Moon,” Michael B. Jordan for “Sinners,” Jesse Plemons for “Bugonia” and Robert Aramayo for playing an advocate for people with Tourette’s syndrome in biographical drama “I Swear.”
The leading actress category includes the strongly favored Jessie Buckley for her performance as Agnes Hathaway, wife of William Shakespeare, in “Hamnet.” She’s up against Rose Byrne for “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” Kate Hudson for “Song Sung Blue,” Chase Infiniti for “One Battle After Another,” Renate Reinsve for “Sentimental Value” and Emma Stone for “Bugonia.”
“One Battle” actors Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn are all nominated for supporting performances.
AP gets documentary nod
The Associated Press was recognized in the best documentary category with a nomination for Mstyslav Chernov’s harrowing Ukraine war portrait “2000 Meters to Andriivka, ” co-produced by the AP and Frontline PBS.
Most BAFTA winners are chosen by 8,500 members of the UK academy of industry professionals. Contenders for the Rising Star award — the only prize decided by public vote and a reliable picker of future A-listers — are Infiniti, Aramayo, “Sinners” star Miles Caton and British actors Archie Madekwe and Posy Sterling.
Donna Langley, the UK-born chairwoman of NBCUniversal Entertainment, will be awarded the British Academy’s highest honor, the BAFTA fellowship.
The ceremony airs on BBC in the United Kingdom starting at 7 p.m. (1900 GMT) and on E! in the US at 8 p.m. EST.
