French Assyrians (, ) are French citizens of Assyrian ancestry. There are around 16,000 most of whom are concentrated in the

Paris metropolitan area The Paris metropolitan area () is a statistical area that describes the reach of commuter movement to and from Paris, France and its surrounding suburbs. Overview In 2020, France's national INSEE statistical bureau introduced the concept "ai ...

History

The community has a history in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

dating back to the First World War, with most arriving during the 1920s in

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

as a result of the Assyrian genocide. The bulk of the Assyrian presence dates back to the early 20th century, when some Assyrians, fleeing the Assyrian genocide, found refuge in France. Others arrived from rural south-eastern Turkey as a result of the Kurdish–Turkish conflict in the 1960s and 70s. Their numbers swelled after the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

in 2003 by those arriving from Iraqi cities.

Population

There are 30,000 Assyrians living in France. The first Assyrians arrived in Marseille France in the 1920s as refugees from the genocide of the Assyrians by Turks during World War One, in which 750,000 Assyrians (75%) were killed, as well as 1 million Greeks and 1.5 million Armenians. Around 10,000 of Assyrians live in Sarcelles, a suburb of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. They are generally compared to French Jews who are seen as inward-looking, conservative and well-integrated in the French society. 10,000 (of 16,000) Assyrians live in Sarcelles.

Notable French Assyrians

* Maria Theresa Asmar * François David * Henri Jibrayel * Agha Petros * Pascal Esho Warda

Notes

External links

Association des Assyro-Chaldéens de France

Assyrians Establish National Federation in France

References

* Assyrians