AN IRISHMAN IS facing up to five years in prison in France after being arrested for telling a Jewish woman that he would “put a bullet” in her head.

The man – who is aged in his 60s but cannot be named for legal reasons – is also accused of making antisemitic comments referring to Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust.

He was in custody in the Marseille area of southern France on Wednesday after being identified in a graphic video involving two Australian tourists.

It was shot in Le Pontet hypermarket on the outskirts of Avignon earlier this month, and was circulated globally by the alleged victims.

Public expressions of antisemitic hatred can be punished in France with up to five years in prison and fines reaching €45,000.

In the footage, the suspect is referred to as Paddy, as a woman accuses him of having said: “I’m sorry Hitler didn’t finish the job”.

This is a direct reference to the Holocaust, when millions of Jews were massacred by the Nazis during World War Two. 

While there is no film of the man saying the words, he is clearly heard to say: “You get the fuck away, before I put a fucking bullet in your head.”

Announcing the suspect’s arrest on X on Wednesday evening, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said: “Kudos to the gendarmes for their investigation following the antisemitic threats and remarks made against tourists this summer at a hypermarket in Le Pontet.”

Nunez added: “Antisemitism must be fought firmly and relentlessly.”

A French government spokesman said the Australian couple were “violently confronted in a French supermarket by an Irish national”, who “allegedly made serious antisemitic remarks before issuing death threats.”

The investigation into the alleged crimes is being carried out by judicial police based in Marseille.

Jewish groups in France have regularly complained about antisemitism being on the increase, with violent acts increasingly linked to the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

After the supermarket video was published, France’s anti-discrimination minister Aurore Bergé said: “France will never compromise with antisemitism and hatred. Our country is particularly mobilised, especially since October 7, 2023 [the date of the Hamas attack on Israel] and will remain so for as long as necessary to ensure that no one ever has to suffer hatred because of their origin or their real or perceived identity.”

Serge Papin, the tourism minister, said: “France is a welcoming land, open to all those who wish to discover it, regardless of their nationality or religion.

“No tourist should be targeted, threatened, or discriminated against because of who they are or what they believe.”

There was no initial comment from the arrested man, or his legal counsel.

Enquiry sources said he had been remanded in custody, pending a possible charge or release.

If charged he is likely to face a trial later this year.