Hundreds of French gather in Paris against Islamophobia

The protesters, which included civil and religious activists as well as French politicians, also criticized what they called the “Islamophobic climate in France.”

Demonstrators in Paris carried signs reading: “Islamophobia kills” and “Justice for Abubakar.”

Assa Traoré, a human rights activist, said: “We have a system, a government that is afraid, and it is this fear that we are confronting.”

Valentin Estel, director of the NGO SOS Racism, expressed concern over the rising trend of Islamophobia in France, stating: “For years, we have been witnessing hateful rhetoric, rhetoric against the Muslim community in France that says they are not fully French.”

According to local media, the victim, a young man from Mali, was alone in the mosque with the attacker at the time of the incident. The suspect, identified by the regional prosecutor as “Olivier,” was born in 2004 in France, of Bosnian descent, and is not Muslim.

According to AFP, the attack took place in the Gard region of southern France, during which the assailant stabbed the victim dozens of times, insulted Islam, and recorded the dying victim with his phone. He then sent the footage to another individual, who posted it on a social media platform.

French authorities and politicians condemned the attack, which resulted in the death of a Muslim in the mosque. French Prime Minister François Bayrou described it as an “Islamophobic crime.”

Meanwhile, French authorities announced on Monday that the suspect in the murder of a Muslim in a mosque in southern France on Friday surrendered to police on Sunday evening.

According to Bruno Retailleau, French Interior Minister, the attacker, after the murder, posted a video on social media announcing his intent to commit more killings to become a “serial killer.”

Abdelkarim Guerini, the prosecutor in Alès overseeing the case, confirmed the suspect’s arrest, stating that he had no choice but to surrender.

France, with over six million Muslims making up about 10% of its population, has the largest Muslim population in Europe.