A Muslim woman was slashed in the face with a box-cutter in Marseille as hate crimes spike after the Paris attacks.
Anti-Muslim hate crimes appear to be increasing in the wake of the Paris terrororist attacks as tensions rise against minority groups.
The woman, who was wearing a niqab at the time of the attack, was punched then slashed as she left a metro station in Marseille, southern France.
Her attacker made comments about her religious dress.
She was taken to a nearby hospital with facial injuries.
The French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve condemned the assault as “cowardly” and urged French citizens to remember the “values of the Republic”.
In spite of tensions running high in France following last Friday’s tragic events, President Francois Hollande has emphasised his country’s support for Syrian refugees, even as many within the country and across Europe have been calling for a halt to the EU’s refugee program.
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Mr Hollande said France will continue to accept those fleeing Syria’s bloody civil war, but that security screenings will be thoroughly conducted.
It was revealed at least one of the perpetrators of last week’s carnage was allowed to re-enter France unchallenged, even after travelling to Syria to receive training.
Earlier this week, the Home Office told the Sunday Express that the UK’s policy towards Syrian refugees remains unchanged, in spite of what transpired in France last week.
Prime-Minister David Cameron has committed to house 20,000 Syrians until 2020, the first group of which landed in Scotland on Tuesday.
