The worrying banalization of the Nazi salute in public spaces

In the early hours of Saturday, August 8, four individuals were observed performing Nazi salutes near a memorial site in Sarcelles, Val-d’Oise, France. The location was adjacent to a synagogue and marked with a plaque commemorating the victims of the terrorist attack on the Jewish school Ozar Hatorah in Toulouse on March 19, 2012. The group included two young men, aged 19, one of whom was of Franco-Ukrainian descent and the other Russian. They were subsequently detained and appeared before a court in Pontoise on Tuesday, August 11, charged with promoting terrorism. Both admitted to having made the gestures. One received a six-month suspended sentence, while the other was sentenced to eight months in prison, with immediate detention pending his expulsion from French territory. This incident follows a similar occurrence earlier in the month, on Monday, August 3, when two individuals performed the same salute in front of the Reich’s flag at the Museum of Resistance and Deportation in Besançon. The museum has recorded four such cases in 2024, five in 2025, and already twelve this year. Christine Werthe, who oversees the museum, noted that each verified case leads to a formal complaint, whether involving adults or minors. Isabelle Rollet, deputy prosecutor in Besançon, confirmed that all reported incidents result in systematic investigations. The two suspects were questioned at the beginning of August, and their file will now be forwarded to the public prosecutor, who will determine appropriate measures based on the individuals' profiles. Under current legal frameworks, the Nazi salute can lead to charges of promoting crimes against humanity or inciting racial hatred, carrying penalties of up to five years in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros. Despite these legal consequences, the gesture continues to appear regularly in public spaces and appears to be becoming more normalized. Stéphane François, a historian specializing in extremist ideologies, notes that this normalization aligns with a growing presence of racism and anti-Semitism in public life. Recent reactions to the arrival of thousands of Moroccan exiles in Ceuta exemplify this trend. On July 31, in Madrid, far-right activist Isabel Peralta performed a Nazi salute during a gathering near the Moroccan embassy. She chanted “Death to the invader,” and her actions were recorded by supporters. Peralta later shared the video online, following her previous conviction for inciting hate during protests, which resulted in a one-year prison sentence. The Nazi salute and racist remarks have also surfaced outside organized far-right gatherings. In April, during a banquet for the “French Canon” in Caen, attended by over 4,000 people, a journalist from France Inter reported on racist comments, including the slogan “The pig runs away,” referring to Muslims, and a gesture resembling the Nazi salute. Emmanuel Casajus, an investigator into nationalist movements, highlights how references to Nazism have expanded beyond the persecution of Jews. Post-war neo-Nazi groups broadened their ideology to defend a supposed “white race” and criticized immigration. Stéphane François explains that today, the target includes Arabs and Black people. This shift was evident in Guiche, in the Atlantic Pyrenees, where recent events reflected this evolving focus.