Two Brothers Sentenced for Destruction of Ilan Halimi Memorial Olive Tree

On October 22, 2025, the Bobigny correctional court sentenced twin brothers for the deliberate destruction of an olive tree memorializing Ilan Halimi in Epinay-sur-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis. One brother received eight months of imprisonment, while the other was given an eight-month suspended sentence. The court convicted them of aggravated destruction of property but acquitted them of violating the memorial on grounds of race or religion, citing insufficient proof that they recognized the tree's symbolic meaning.

The olive tree had been planted in 2011 to honor Ilan Halimi, a Jewish man who was tortured and murdered in 2006 under racially motivated circumstances. The brothers felled the tree overnight between August 13 and 14, 2025, provoking strong political condemnation, with the prosecutor arguing that the act was a symbolic attack on Halimi's memory.

Evidence against the brothers included video footage from one of their phones showing him with a chainsaw near the memorial days before its destruction, as well as DNA found at the scene on watermelon remnants — historically associated with Palestinian resistance. Despite this, the brothers largely remained silent during the trial and did not acknowledge Halimi's identity when questioned.

Defense lawyers stressed their clients' youth at the time of Halimi's murder and challenged the case's strength. This incident follows earlier attacks on Halimi memorials, including the cutting down of two trees in 2019, highlighting ongoing tensions surrounding this symbol in France.