French man allegedly pulls knife on Israeli tourist in Australia, denied bail by Cairns court

A French man, Leo Raymund Cotene, was denied bail by the Cairns Magistrates Court in Australia after allegedly pulling a 20-centimeter knife on an Israeli tourist at a hostel on Thursday. The incident, which occurred around 5 p.m. at Sheridan Street's Mad Monkey Backpackers hostel, reportedly included anti-Israel remarks such as, "F*** Israel." Cotene was charged with common assault with serious vilification or hate crime circumstances of aggravation. Police prosecutor Olivier Claes opposed bail due to "the risk of further offending and endangering other members of the public, particularly those of Israeli origin or those of Jewish faith." Cotene's lawyer, Rowan King, acknowledged the verbal comments but stated his client did not physically strike the victim. The Australian Jewish Association President, Robert Gregory, advised Jewish and Israeli visitors to "exercise caution" in Australia due to a significant increase in antisemitism.