French politicians have condemned a savage attack at a mosque in the town of Ales in the south, where a man praying on Friday was stabbed to death. The attack, which was filmed and shared on Snapchat, has been met with uproar nationwide.
The attacker is unknown and is still on the loose, with the authorities holding back more information on the motive behind the attack. The fatal accident, however, has heightened debates surrounding the escalation of Islamophobia in France.
French President Emmanuel Macron offered his sympathies to the victim’s family and Muslim community and denounced the act as an act of hatred provoked by racism and religious intolerance. Macron posted on X, underscoring, “Racism and religiously motivated hatred will never belong in France.”
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau visited Ales on Sunday, where he met with local religious leaders and promised to support efforts to address hate crimes. The French Prime Minister, Francois Bayrou, also condemned the attack as Islamophobic, calling it an assault on the nation’s values of tolerance and coexistence.
The assault has caused tensions among France’s Muslim population, which accounts for about 10% of the country. France’s Muslim Council of the Muslim Faith has called on the government to initiate a national security operation to guard Muslim houses of worship, after several such attacks occurred in recent years.
A protest against Islamophobia was planned in Paris for Sunday night, with people coming onto the streets to call for more protection of religious groups. The incident has again fueled existing controversies concerning how Muslims are treated and the secular policies of the state.
