"This man alighted from his moped and, as he was outside the school, he shot at everybody who was near him, children or adults. Children were chased right into the school," said Toulouse prosecutor Michel Valet.
Declaring a day of mourning, he said schools across France would observe a minute's silence on Tuesday.
The president, who was on the election trail at the time of the shooting but along with the other candidates has suspended his campaign, said: "Whatever happens, faced with this kind of toll, we can say that the French Republic as a whole has been hit by this appalling tragedy."
The French interior ministry ordered increased surveillance around Jewish schools, and the Minister Claude Gueant said he will visit the school on Monday morning.
The Chief Rabbi of France, Gilles Bernheim, said he was "horrified by what happened this morning in Toulouse". He said that he was "bruised in my body and my soul".
Jonathan Hayoun, who leads the Jewish students union of France, said in a statement that "anti-Semitic and racist speech has created a climate of insecurity for Jews in France" and called for new security measures to be put in place.
The shootings come after a week of violent attacks on soldiers of North African origin in the area around Toulouse.
Two French paratroopers were shot in the town of Montauban, near Toulouse, on Friday, when a gunman on a black motorbike pulled up at a cash machine and opened fire.
Several other attacks on Jewish schools have been recorded in France in previous years.
In 2009 in Marseille aerosol cans soaked in petrol were thrown at a Jewish school, though nobody was injured, and in 2005 acid bottles were thrown at a Jewish school in Paris.
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A gunman on a motorbike opened fire outside a Jewish school in Toulouse, France, and shot dead three children and a rabbi.
At least three other children were critically injured, including a 17-year...
A gunman on a motorbike opened fire outside a Jewish school in Toulouse, France, and shot dead three children and a rabbi.
At least three other children were critically injured, including a 17-year...
French President Nicolas Sarkozy declared a day of "national tragedy" in France and schools and religious groups held services of solidarity after a gunman shot...
French children, Jewish and French or, if one prefers, sovereignly French but guilty of having been born Jewish, were coldly gunned down, in broad daylight, on the territory of the Republic.
All the House of Israel mourns the heinous, cowardly, anti-Semitic murders of a young rabbi, his two small children and another 10-year-old child, who were gunned down outside of a Jewish day school in Toulouse this morning.
The attack earlier this week on schoolchildren in Toulouse was horrific. But for the last five years the All-Party Parliamentary Group Against Anti-semitism has warned that such an attack was depressingly predictable.
Yes, without doubt double standards. A life has the same value no matter where it is. I cannot believe that Israel can flatten Beirut, Gazza, etc. etc. and nobody says a word. And all with the blessing of the US government. Unless the media treat these 2 examples with the same compassion then this type of incident will become more common.
Up_the_wall: Yes, without doubt double standards. A life has the same
um not sure if you know, beirut and gaza has not been flattened. Yep what I can see there are thousands of buildings still there, + the brand new Shopping Centre, & the brand new Olympic size swimming pool, and the new muti story block of flats, yep all still there.
Not sure where you got your information from but believe me Gaza not flattened
moshedaveed: um not sure if you know, beirut and gaza has
Don't forget that Arab Muslims can murder 2.5 million Black Africans and nobody says a word. least of all you. Stop treating Arab Muslims as a master race.
TruthOffends: Don't forget that Arab Muslims can murder 2.5 million Black
get your facts right before spouting the usual misinformed information, have you any idea at all at whats been going on in israel and gaza these last few weeks, its most certainly far removed from your cheap shot comment
nick100: get your facts right before spouting the usual misinformed information,
You see, but that's different. Israel is always defending herself so she can blow to smithereens anyone she feels like blowing up as long as the US, tows the line. Brought to you by Aipac and your "american" congress.
Lifer2006: You see, but that's different. Israel is always defending herself
You mean the people who were shooting 50 rockets a day at the civilians living over the border in Israel? The ones who set up their rocket launchers in front of people's homes and where children were playing?
soodeeell: You mean the people who were shooting 50 rockets a
With the level of hate, hateful speech, cynical commentary, anti-human laws and measures rising of late.....it does not surprise me that this has happened. What surprises me more is that it does not happen everyday. Keep it up world and it will.
Vitorio: With the level of hate, hateful speech, cynical commentary, anti-human
Sorry, but that is a ridiculous claim. Though I am German, not French, I am sure that 99% of all French people ... no matter where they stand regarding politics ... find such an act horrible and wish nothing more than that the full power of their administration hunts the perpetrator(s) down and drags them into the court room.
Michael_GE: Sorry, but that is a ridiculous claim. Though I am
Sarkozy says he wants to take a break from his presidential campaign till Wednesday.
Well I'm on the side of many Jews in France who are telling him not to. Rather they prefer that he put a stop to some insidious commens directed at Jews and Muslims thus raising the hate stakes that brough about these murders.
The killer, according to what info the police have, is from the far right.
phute: Sarkozy says he wants to take a break from his
Stop it with anti-Semitism !
Before this today tragedy, 3 soldiers were shot and they were not Jew. They were Arab or Black. Paratroopers from a unit that fought in Afghanistan.
Today, the same man opened fire outside a Jewish school killing four people, three of them were children. The country is all the more shocked.
It is proved now that the gun used was the same in all three attacks. A climate of fear invades the region, even if the authorities are hunting for the gunman.
Tonight, the southwestern Midi-Pyrenees region is on "scarlet" alert, the highest terror level.
Let's wait till the end of the investigations.
Joyce, France.
Joyce70: Stop it with anti-Semitism ! Before this today tragedy, 3
As a German neighbor, my heart goes out with France. I trust and am confident you will unleash all resources necessary to find the perpetrator(s) and bring him/her/them to justice.
Michael_GE: As a German neighbor, my heart goes out with France.
What has Huffpost got against Jews that it doesn't have against female army corporals or murderous pensioners after eye ops as comments are blocked on both of those stories but not this one.
Edmund_Blackadder: What has Huffpost got against Jews that it doesn't have
you are one of the lucky ones, Huff moderator is scrapping most....the other page had 18 comments..moderator let 3 be shown.....I read most and commented...nothing offensive or abusive...but they went....
digitalchatter2: you are one of the lucky ones, Huff moderator is
digital: except that my point was that many people have have already lost sight of what this story is about and have reduced it to one of ethnicity. I feel that this is deliberate on the part of the media and they provoke this reaction whenever they deem it necessary, which is not appropriate for many stories hence the ''comments are closed'' message we see so often.
Edmund_Blackadder: digital: except that my point was that many people have
My sympathies go out to all those people affected by this tragedy, regardless of colour, race, or nationality. We are all human beings, and deserve respect and love, and to live in a safe world.
Mossiewee: My sympathies go out to all those people affected by
Please allow for some time for the police to find the culprit, before indicting a so-called deep-ingrained French antisemitism.
Yesterday, the same killer shot two soldiers of Arab descent, and the week before a black soldier. Now, he's killed four Jews. Maybe tomorrow an Asian, who knows ?
So again, don't rush for judgment.
friedrich_nietszche: Please allow for some time for the police to find
Same weapon, same motorcycle, same licence plate, same clothes, same modus operandi. Official news announced on TV by M. Sarkozy, the French president.
friedrich_nietszche: Same weapon, same motorcycle, same licence plate, same clothes, same
To those rushing to say it was "probably" a Muslim, remember that the CIA originally said the OKC bomber was "probably" Muslim as well — and look what that got them.
Before leaping all over yourselves to make rash assumptions about the identity of the killer here and whatever his/her motives might have been let's let the police do their work, huh?
SeanMartin: To those rushing to say it was "probably" a Muslim,
WELL SAID......
the anti semitic......WHICH ALSO COVERS ARABS BTW not just Jewish.......shown on this page is a disgrace......many are blaming Muslims.....when they have no proof at all...
if it had been the other way round, not many of these racist comments would have been shown....so causes all sorts of reaction.......
digitalchatter2: WELL SAID...... the anti semitic......WHICH ALSO COVERS ARABS BTW not
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Huffington Post UK | By Michael Rundle Posted: 19/03/2012 08:01 Updated: 19/03/2012 16:49