PARIS, July 21 (UPI) -- Pro-Palestinian protests turned violent in Paris Sunday after masked youths targeted a synagogue, a kosher grocery and attacked police.
The French government began a crackdown after the country's large Arab communities saw a wave of unrest following Israeli military action in Gaza. After attacking a synagogue and a Jewish grocery, rioters started throwing rocks and petrol bombs at police. The police used tear gas to disperse the protesters, but the rioters said they still plan on staging protests.
"What happened in Sarcelles was intolerable," French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Monday. "Attacking a synagogue and a kosher grocery is quite simply anti-Semitic and racist."
French President Francois Hollande called for the protesters to stand down after imposing a ban on demonstrations.
"The Israeli-Palestinian conflict must not be imported [to France]," said Hollande. "We will not tolerate any act or speech that could cause a resurgence of anti-semitism and racism."
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