Deadly ‘racist’ attack in France: Are hate crimes rising in Europe?
Monitoring group reports more Muslims in Europe face racial discrimination as 'terrorist' attack kills one in France.
A gunman in northern France has killed one person and injured five, including a 12-year-old girl who was seriously wounded, in what authorities are calling a racially motivated “terrorist” attack.
The shooting on Friday was carried out as mounting and often violent cost-of-living protests grip the country with more demonstrations expected on Saturday.
About 10:30am (08:30 GMT) on Friday, a gunman drove through the towns of Trappes and La Verriere, a working class area on the outskirts of Paris with a large immigrant and Muslim population, and fired an automatic weapon randomly at a petrol station, a medical centre and a children’s playground.
“Tonight, I have reiterated the Nation’s support for all the victims and their families,” he said on X. “I have also reaffirmed our absolute determination to continue the fight against racism, in all its forms.”