BuzzFeed Reporter Assaulted in Paris by Jewish Extremist Group

BuzzFeed news reporter David Perrotin was assaulted on Thursday at a Paris protest outside the offices of news wire Agence France Presse by members of the extremist Jewish Defense League group.

Perrotin was covering a rally organized by the JDL and two other groups in front of AFP, which has been characterized by the JDL as anti-Israeli.

BuzzFeed reported that a little before 8 p.m., a protester spotted Perrotin and said, “It isn’t good to take photos” as protesters threw eggs and other items at the building housing AFP.

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Perrotin was asked if he was a journalist, and declined to answer, but the female protester already knew his identity.

“I know who you are, I have information about you. You are David Perrotin. Wait, I’ll tell the JDL that you’re here,” BuzzFeed reported the protester said.

Also Read: Paris Mayor Vows to Sue Fox News for Insulting City After Charlie Hebdo Attack (Video)

In response, Perrotin tried to leave the crowd as police motioned him to come to the front of their line in front of the AFP building. As he ran, about a dozen protesters wearing masks and helmets barreled into him.

They struck him in the back and head and police inadvertently struck him before recognizing he was a reporter. They brought him into the AFP building, where staff tended to Perrotin before he was released 45 minutes later.

Also Read: NYPD Boosting Security Outside Gawker, BuzzFeed and The Daily Beast After Charlie Hebdo

The Jewish Defense League didn’t answer BuzzFeed as to why its protesters assaulted Perrotin, responding to an inquiry with a blank email.

BuzzFeed reported Perrotin wasn’t badly injured and plans to file charges with police.

8 Attacks on Free Speech Before Shooting at French Paper Charlie Hebdo (Photos)

The deadly terror attack on French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo is shocking but, sadly, not unprecedented.
1998: Novelist Salman Rushdie received death threats after the publication of his book "The Satanic Verses," which was seen by some Muslims as insulting to Muhammad.
2002: Whether because he was a journalist or American, Wall Street Journal's Daniel Pearl was beheaded by al-Qaida. The Committee to Protect Journalists reports 731 members of the media have been murdered since 1992.
2004: Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh angered Muslims with his film "Submission," which was critical of the way women are treated in Islam. He was murdered by Dutch-Moroccan Muslim Mohammed Bouyen.
2005: The Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published a number of controversial cartoons depicting the Islamic prophet Muhammad, leading to protests and violent demonstrations in some Muslim countries.
2011: CBS journalist Lara Logan was beaten and sexually assaulted while covering the celebrations in Egypt's Tahrir Square over the resignation of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.
2014: After being threatened by Israelis in Sderot, CNN's Diana Magnay caused an uproar by calling them "scum" on Twitter. Magnay was then pulled off of her assignment near the Gaza border and reassigned to Moscow.
2013: Al Jazeera journalists Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were arrested and later convicted in Egypt of aiding and abetting the Muslim Brotherhood, receiving prison sentences ranging from seven to 10 years. While an Egyptian court has accepted the trio's appeal, the journalists were not released on bail, meaning they'll remain imprisoned until their retrial.
2014: The theatrical release of the comedy "The Interview," which depicted an assassination plot against North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was temporarily canceled after Sony suffered a massive cyberattack, in which North Korea reportedly played a part.