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Three Bulgarian men are on trial Paris For his alleged involvement in spray-painting bloodied hands on the city’s Holocaust Memorial this week, an act of vandalism. French Intelligence services join an operation Russia To destabilize France and other Western societies.
Nearly 500 red hands were painted on a wall in honor of those who helped in the rescue last year jews in and surrounding Paris neighborhoods during World War II. The graffiti was initially seen in the context of the war in Gaza, which has led to anti-Semitic incidents and increased tensions across Europe.
But French intelligence services say the Red Hands were part of a long-term 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 in recent years accused Russia of a campaign of sabotage that includes paying people to carry out vandalism, arson and bombing attempts.
Four Bulgarians have been charged in the Holocaust memorial case, but only three remain in custody and were present for Wednesday’s hearing. The alleged ringleader, Mircho Angelov, is at large.
Georgy Filippov, who was the first to testify, said he took the bribe in exchange for 1,000 euros to support his 9-year-old son. He said he was paid by Angelov and did not address allegations of Russian involvement.
He told the court through translators, “I admit to participating in these acts. I formally apologize to the victims, and apologize for the harm caused. I also apologize to the French authorities.”
Filipov said he was a former neo-Nazi and may have been recruited because his social media feed showed him with neo-Nazi tattoos and a T-shirt praising Hitler. He described the tattoo as “a bad choice from my past” and claimed that it was only upon returning to Bulgaria that he realized the anti-Semitic nature of the act.
Kirill Milushev testified that he filmed the graffiti on Angelov’s instructions in exchange for 500 euros.
“I regret taking part in this act,” he told the court.
Investigators say Milushev was also suspected of being involved in defacing a gravesite in Munich and pasting stickers near hotels in the Swiss city of Zurich. ukraine Last year’s peace conference.
A third defendant, Nikolay Ivanov, was questioned about his role in four incidents of alleged Russian interference. He denied any pro-Russian connections or sentiments and any responsibility for the red-handed graffiti.
Ivanov is accused of purchasing air tickets from the Bulgarian capital Sofia to Brussels and then Brussels-Paris bus tickets for the other defendants and paying for their hotel in Paris. He said he purchased the tickets and stayed at the hotel at Angelov’s request, and was only “providing a service to a friend.”
The suspects have been charged with criminal conspiracy or causing serious damage to property on grounds of race, ethnicity or religion. If found guilty, he could face several years in jail.
The plaintiffs include the Paris Holocaust Memorial and the League Against Racism and Antisemitism.
The red hands graffiti was one of several strange incidents in France over the past two years, and was the first to come to trial. Among others:
In October 2023, shortly after the start of the Israel–Hamas war, stencils of blue Stars of David appeared on buildings in Paris. French officials accused Russian security services of instigating the controversy over the stars. Two Moldovan people were detained and deported in the case.
In June 2024, five coffins appeared beneath the Eiffel Tower in a reference 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 asked to place them under the famous Paris landmark. Three other people, born in Bulgaria, Germany and Ukraine, are suspected in the case and warrants have been issued for their arrest.
Unusual spray-painted images and messages referencing Ukraine appeared on the streets of Paris a few days after Zelensky met with then-US President Joe Biden in the French capital. The three Moldovans remain in custody pending further investigation.
And last month, severed heads of pigs were found near nine mosques in the Paris region, five of which had Macron’s name scrawled on them. Investigation is going on.
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AP writer Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.