French politicians condemn mosque stabbing

28/4/2025 6:04

French politicians on Sunday

condemned an attack in which a man was stabbed to death while

praying at a mosque in southern France, an incident that was

captured on video and disseminated on Snapchat.



President Emmanuel Macron offered his support to the man's

family and to the French Muslim community, writing in a post on

X: "Racism and religiously motivated hatred will never belong in

France."



Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau on Sunday visited the

town of Ales where Friday's attack took place and met with

religious leaders.



He said the suspect, who was still at large, had made

anti-Muslim comments and had said he wanted to kill others. "So

there is a fascination with violence," Retailleau told French

broadcaster BFM TV.



The town's prosecutor told reporters on Sunday the suspect

had been identified. The suspect's brother had been questioned

by investigators on Saturday.



A march to commemorate the victim took place in the nearby

town of La Grand-Combe, on Sunday afternoon and a demonstration

against Islamophobia was expected in Paris in the evening.



France, a country that prides itself on its homegrown

secularism known as "laicite," has the largest Muslim population

in Europe, numbering more than 6 million and making up around

10% of the country's population.



But politicians across the political spectrum, including

Macron, have attacked what they described as Islamist separatism

and radical Islam, in a way that rights and Muslim groups have

said could make it harder for Muslims to express their identity.



The French Council of the Muslim Faith on Sunday urged

authorities to launch a national plan to protect Muslim places

of worship.