Several French cities, including Paris, Strasbourg, Roubaix, Saint-Ouen, Nanterre, and La Courneuve, witnessed protest demonstrations against the escalation of racism and anti-Islam and anti-Muslim sentiment. On Monday, anti-racism activists gathered in the capital Paris and the cities of Strasbourg, Roubaix, Saint-Ouen, Nanterre, and La Courneuve, at the call of trade unions, associations, and civil society organizations.
Participants remembered Bingo Bousio Wangi, a Frenchman of Congolese descent who was killed in a racist attack in the Yvelines region last Friday, and expressed their solidarity with five injured people, including a child. In Paris, hundreds of people participated in a demonstration at the Place de la Bataille de Stalingrad, holding signs among which was "Racism Kills."
Warnings of Escalating Racist Discourse
Dominique Soubelet, head of the SOS Racisme association, stated in media interviews that crimes with racist motives have re-emerged in France in recent years. Soubelet warned of the danger of racist discourse echoed in some media outlets.
For his part, Mayor Traoré Ali Rabah, in media comments on the sidelines of his participation in the demonstration, said that hate speeches against foreigners, immigrants, and Muslims contributed to "dehumanizing a part of the French population" and portraying them as "enemies within."
Police Intervention and Dispersal of Protesters
In a related development, the "Anti-Racism Coalition" announced in a statement that Paris police banned another demonstration planned for the Place de la République. Despite the ban order, protesters gathered near the square before police intervened to disperse them, according to the coalition.
On October 23, an individual fired from inside his vehicle at people in the Yvelines region, resulting in the death of Bingo Bousio Wangi and injuring five people seriously. Police arrested the 39-year-old perpetrator at the scene, while French President Emmanuel Macron described the attack as a "racist terrorist act."
Source: Anadolu Agency
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