French Leftist Leaders Call for Anti-Islamophobia Rally After Mosque Killing

Jean-Luc Mélenchon issued a call for a gathering “against Islamophobia” on Sunday at 6 p.m. in Paris after a worshipper was murdered inside a mosque in the La Grand area, in what is believed to have been a premeditated crime. The killer filmed his victim while cursing “God.”

In his message, the leader of the “France Unbowed” party emphasized that this tragedy was a result of the “continuous incitement against Islam,” considering it a “crossing of an unacceptable red line.”

The rally in Place de la République in Paris will observe a moment of silence in honor of the victim, 20-something Abu Bakr. The call was also shared by other figures from the “France Unbowed” party such as Éric Coquerel and Rima Hassan, as well as Marine Tondelier, leader of the “Green Party.”

French Leaders Condemn Islamophobic Killing, Call for Action

In response to the crime, Prime Minister François Bayrou described the incident as a “despicable Islamophobic act,” adding, “We stand with the victim’s family and the shocked worshippers,” and stating that “the state’s resources are being used to apprehend the killer and bring him to justice.”

The French Council of the Muslim Religion (CFCM), the former body representing Islam in France, expressed its “shock” over this “anti-Muslim terrorist attack,” urging Muslims in France to remain “extremely vigilant,” according to a press statement.

The council emphasized the “catastrophic consequences” of normalizing and spreading hatred against Muslims in the media and advised worshippers not to stay alone or isolated within mosques. It also called on the authorities to “immediately launch a national plan to strengthen the protection of Islamic places of worship.”

The suspect, who is still on the run, reportedly stabbed a young man praying inside a mosque in the small town of La Grand-Combe in the La Grand region. The killer filmed his victim as he was dying, saying twice, “I did it…”.

As part of the investigation, conducted by the National Gendarmerie in the Grand area and the Nîmes Police Department, searches were carried out on Saturday, according to the same source.

Official details about the killer remain scarce: he was born in Lyon in 2004, named “Olivier A,” and is a French national of Bosnian descent, with some family members living in the Grand area. He has no criminal record and is believed to be unemployed.

According to the public prosecutor in Nîmes, the suspect is “extremely dangerous,” and it is “vital” to apprehend him before he commits further crimes. The prosecutor mentioned on Saturday evening that in his “stumbling words” in the video he filmed himself after the crime, the young man appeared to express his intention to repeat the act.