Latest news with #ChristopheB.
France 24
5 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
French suspect in racist killing of Tunisian neighbour to appear before anti-terrorism judge
A Frenchman accused of murdering his Tunisian neighbour in the south of France will appear before an anti-terrorism judge on Thursday, the national anti-terror prosecutor's office said. Christophe B. is accused of killing Hichem Miraoui in an attack that sparked alarm over rising racism in France and Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau described as 'racist' and 'perhaps also a terrorist crime'. Anti-terrorism prosecutors, known by their French acronym PNAT, have taken over the case – the first time a far-right racist attack has been treated as a 'terrorist' offence since the unit was created in 2019. Christophe B., a French national in his 50s, shot and killed Miraoui, a Tunisian man in his 40s, on Saturday in the southern town of Puget-sur-Argens before wounding another neighbour, a Turkish national. He posted racist videos on social media both before and after the attack, according to regional prosecutor Pierre Couttenier. Swore allegiance to French flag A source close to the case told AFP that, unlike jihadist attacks often linked to state-designated 'terrorist' organisations like the Islamic State group, far-right attacks are assessed on a case-by-case basis, as they typically lack connections to such organisations. The decision to refer them to the anti-terror prosecutors depends on the suspect's profile, the severity of the act, and whether there was a clear intent to seriously disrupt public order through intimidation or terror. Christophe B. wanted to 'disrupt public order through terror', according to a source close to the case. According to French daily Le Parisien, the suspect said he 'swore allegiance to the French flag' and called on the French to 'shoot' people of foreign origin in one of his videos posted on social media. Political and religious leaders have sounded the alarm over growing anti-Muslim acts in France, which increased by 72 percent in the first quarter, with 79 recorded cases, according to interior ministry figures. The shooting followed the murder of a Malian man in a mosque in April, also in southern France and the burning of a Koran near Lyon at the weekend. 'Hold promoters accountable' Retailleau said Tuesday that the killing of Miraoui was 'clearly a racist crime', 'probably also anti-Muslim' Chems-Eddine Hafiz, the rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, called on French President Emmanuel Macron to speak out. 'It is time to hold accountable the promoters of this hatred who, in political and media circles, act with complete impunity and incite extremely serious acts,' said Hafiz. 'Remind people of the reality that we are citizens of this country,' he added. Tributes poured in from shocked neighbours and friends mourning the murder of Miraoui, with more than a dozen bouquets placed outside the barbershop where he worked in the quiet town of Puget-sur-Argens. 'I don't understand why he was killed. Why all this hatred?', said Sylvia Elvasorre, a 65-year-old pensioner who lives next to the hair salon, tears in her eyes. France is home to the largest Muslim community in the European Union, as well as the largest Jewish population outside Israel and the United States. There has also been a rise in reported attacks against members of France's Jewish community since Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023 and the Israeli military responded with a devastating military offensive on the Gaza Strip. vandalised with paint on Saturday.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Suspect in murder of Tunisian man to appear before French judge: prosecutors
PARIS: A Frenchman accused of murdering his Tunisian neighbour in the south of France will appear before an anti-terrorism judge on Thursday, the national anti-terror prosecutor's office said. Christophe B. is accused of killing Hichem Miraoui in an attack Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has described as both 'racist' and 'probably also anti-Muslim'. Anti-terrorism prosecutors have taken over the case, the first time a far-right racist attack has been treated as a 'terrorist' offence since the unit was created in 2019. The suspect wanted to 'disrupt public order through terror', according to a source close to the case. Christophe B., a French national in his 50s, shot and killed Miraoui, a Tunisian man in his 40s, on Saturday in the southern town of Puget-sur-Argens before wounding another neighbour, a Turkish national. He posted racist videos on social media both before and after the attack, according to regional prosecutor Pierre Couttenier. Retailleau said Tuesday that the killing of Miraoui was 'clearly a racist crime', 'probably also anti-Muslim' and 'perhaps also a terrorist crime'.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Suspect in murder of Tunisian man to appear before French judge
PARIS: A Frenchman accused of murdering his Tunisian neighbour in the south of France will appear before an anti-terrorism judge on Thursday, the national anti-terror prosecutor's office said. Christophe B. is accused of killing Hichem Miraoui in an attack Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has described as both 'racist' and 'probably also anti-Muslim'. Anti-terrorism prosecutors have taken over the case, the first time a far-right racist attack has been treated as a 'terrorist' offence since the unit was created in 2019. The suspect wanted to 'disrupt public order through terror', according to a source close to the case. Christophe B., a French national in his 50s, shot and killed Miraoui, a Tunisian man in his 40s, on Saturday in the southern town of Puget-sur-Argens before wounding another neighbour, a Turkish national. He posted racist videos on social media both before and after the attack, according to regional prosecutor Pierre Couttenier. Retailleau said Tuesday that the killing of Miraoui was 'clearly a racist crime', 'probably also anti-Muslim' and 'perhaps also a terrorist crime'.
LeMonde
5 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
When racism escalates to far-right terrorism
Since the Algerian War, murders targeting individuals perceived as North African have punctuated the grim history of racism in France, to the extent that the term "Arabicide" was coined by the author of a book on the subject. Certain political rhetoric has inspired such crimes, including the murder of Ibrahim Ali, a young Frenchman of Comorian descent who was killed in 1995 in Marseille by a member of the Front National (now the Rassemblement National, RN) far-right party while posting campaign posters. However, never before had a racist murderer's intent to incite others to follow their example – thereby "disturbing public order through intimidation or terror," to use the French penal code's wording – led to a classification of "terrorism." After the murder of Hichem Miraoui, age 45, on Saturday, May 31, in the southern town of Puget-sur-Argens, the decision to involve France's national anti-terrorism prosecutor's office was based notably on the suspect's call to "go get them [foreigners] where they are," posted on social media. Christophe B., age 53, is now under investigation for "premeditated murder in connection with a terrorist undertaking, committed because of race or religion." This classification, which is appropriate, marks a first in cases of racist or anti-Muslim homicides. It reflects the emergence of a troubling threat: far-right terrorism. By combining calls for racist murder with appeals to vote for the RN in messages broadcast without any filter on Facebook and X, Christophe B. has highlighted the ambiguity, and even perversity, of the RN's rhetoric. The image of respectability crafted by party leader Marine Le Pen masks barely subliminal messages of hate from her supporters. The depiction of immigration as a "flood" responsible for all the country's ills, the conflation of Muslims with terrorists and the labeling of perpetrators of urban violence as "savages" have for years fostered a hostility toward foreigners that far-right groups or lone individuals are encouraged to translate into action. But this "ambient racism," in the words of Socialist leader Olivier Faure, has also been fueled by a growing portion of the political spectrum adopting the language of the RN. By denouncing "barbarians" after the incidents that occurred during the Paris Saint-Germain football victory celebrations, and by constantly placing Islam, Muslim and Algeria at the center of political debate, conservative Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, like other political leaders, fueled the hate machine. His condemnation of the "racist" crime in southern France and his description of racism as a "poison that kills" are therefore all the more commendable. Still, the frequent tendency to substitute a religious lens in lieu of an analysis of the racism and social relations underlying these crimes represents a regrettable step backward. Admittedly, the repeated shocks inflicted on French society by Islamist attacks are echoed in the hateful writings of Christophe B. However, his language, which includes racial slurs, seems primarily inspired by classic racism and xenophobia. By viewing the tragedy in Puget-sur-Argens solely through a religious lens before even knowing Miraoui's relationship to Islam, there is a risk of reducing him to a single trait and favoring the perspective preferred by all extremists. This murder should first and foremost prompt condemnation of any rhetoric that equates a religion, skin color, culture, nationality or foreign origin with a threat.
LeMonde
5 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Suspect in murder of Tunisian neighbor to appear before French judge
A Frenchman accused of murdering his Tunisian neighbor in the south of France will appear before an anti-terrorism judge on Thursday, June 5, the national anti-terror prosecutor's office said. Christophe B. is accused of killing Hichem Miraoui in an attack Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has described as both "racist" and "probably also anti-Muslim." Anti-terrorism prosecutors have taken over the case, the first time a far-right racist attack has been treated as a "terrorist" offense since the unit was created in 2019. The suspect wanted to "disrupt public order through terror," according to a source close to the case. Christophe B., a French national in his 50s, shot and killed Miraoui, a Tunisian man in his 40s, on Saturday in the southern town of Puget-sur-Argens before wounding another neighbor, a Turkish national. He posted racist videos on social media both before and after the attack, according to regional prosecutor Pierre Couttenier. Retailleau said on Tuesday that the killing of Miraoui was "clearly a racist crime," "probably also anti-Muslim" and "perhaps also a terrorist crime."
