Four Bulgarians to Stand Trial in Paris over “Blood-Red Hands” Holocaust Memorial Vandalism

Four Bulgarian nationals are due to stand trial in Paris in connection with the so-called “Red Hands” affair. They are accused of defacing the Wall of the Holocaust Memorial in the French capital with 35 red handprints.

The incident, which took place in May last year, is being investigated as part of a wider campaign of attempts to destabilise French society.

In June 2023, a number of coffins draped in French flags and marked with the words “French soldiers in Ukraine” were placed near the Eiffel Tower. The most recent act of vandalism occurred in September, when pig heads were left outside several mosques in Paris. According to prosecutors, these incidents bear the hallmarks of foreign interference linked to Russia.

Three of the suspects in the “Red Hands” case were extradited from Croatia and Bulgaria, while the fourth remains at large and will be tried in absentia.

If found guilty, the defendants could face up to seven years in prison and fines of up to €75,000.