At least nine pigs’ heads were discovered outside mosques in Paris and its suburbs on Tuesday, sparking condemnation from Muslims and renewed concern about France’s rising Islamophobia.
Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez confirmed four mosques in the capital and five in nearby areas had been targeted. Police are investigating for “incitement to hatred aggravated by discrimination.”
Some of the pig heads were scrawled with the surname of French President Emmanuel Macron in blue ink, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office.
Pork is haram (prohibited) in Islam, making the act a direct insult to Muslim worshippers.
Authorities have not identified the perpetrators, but Nuñez said parallels could be drawn with previous cases linked to “foreign interference”.
He cautioned against jumping to conclusions, but noted earlier incidents where Serbians vandalised Jewish sites allegedly with Russian backing.
Rising attacks on Muslims
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France is home to Europe’s largest Muslim population, estimated at over six million. Anti-Muslim hatred has sharply increased since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023.
Official figures show anti-Muslim incidents rose by 75% between January and May this year compared with 2024. Attacks on individuals tripled in that period, according to the interior ministry.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau condemned the latest desecrations, calling them “outrageous” and “absolutely unacceptable.”
He added: “I want our Muslim compatriots to be able to practise their faith in peace.”
Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, confirmed the city had taken legal action, denouncing the “racist acts.”
President Macron also met representatives of the Muslim community to express support.
Chems-Eddine Hafiz, rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, described the pig head incidents as “a new and sad stage in the rise of anti-Muslim hatred.” He urged national solidarity to resist the escalation.
Bassirou Camara, who heads anti-discrimination group ADDAM, warned that the situation could deteriorate further.
He told French media: “We have been raising the alarm for months and we are not being heard. What will be the next step? Throwing pigs’ heads at worshippers or physically assaulting them?”
A deadly pattern
The desecrations come months after a brutal Islamophobic murder shocked French Muslims.
In April, a 22-year-old Malian man, Aboubakar Cissé, was stabbed to death inside a mosque in La Grand-Combe.
Cissé, a carpenter who also volunteered at the mosque, had gone for prayer early in the morning when he was attacked.
The suspect, 21-year-old French national Olivier A, allegedly filmed the victim’s suffering while shouting insults at Allah.
French prosecutors say the killer later fled across the border before surrendering in Italy.
President Macron said there was no place for religious hate in French society, while the prime minister denounced the murder as an “Islamophobic crime.”
This rising tide of hatred is leaving many Muslims fearful. From worshippers attacked in mosques to grotesque desecrations outside houses of worship, French Muslims are increasingly targeted simply for their faith.
Community leaders are demanding urgent action, insisting that verbal condemnation is no longer enough.
As Hafiz noted, these attacks are not isolated incidents but part of a dangerous trajectory of Islamophobia sweeping across Europe.
