French authorities and Jewish groups say a Jewish family was beaten, tied up and robbed in what the government described as an intentionally anti-Semitic act.

According to the National Bureau for Vigilance against Anti-Semitism (BNVCA), three individuals broke into the house of Roger Pinto, the president of the Siona group representing Sephardic Jews, by cutting through the home’s window bars. They then cut off the electricity in the house, tied up Pinto’s son, and held and beat his wife. It was only several hours later, in the morning, that Pinto managed to discretely contact police, causing the intruders to flee.

According to the BNVCA report, the unidentified attackers told their victims, “You are Jewish, you have money.”

On Sunday, the BNVCA condemned the attack, which they described as “manifestly anti-Semitic” and “premeditated,” adding that the family was “threatened with death” and “violently beaten.”

In a statement on Sunday, Francis Kalifat, president of the leading French Jewish organization CRIF, urged the authorities to step up security and take stronger measures against perpetrators of such acts.

French Interior Minister Gérard Collomb denounced the violence and offered support for the family and the Jewish community. His statement offered “the determination of the government” to “tirelessly fight any form of racism and anti-Semitism,” saying Sunday that racism and anti-Semitism “have no place in the French nation.”

French police said they are investigating the attack but would not provide details of the probe.

(YWN / AP)