Far-Right Vandals Target French Mosque in Nighttime Islamophobic Attack

The El Hidaya mosque in Roussillon, a commune located in the department of Vaucluse in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region in southern France, was targeted during the night from Friday to Saturday, with tracts glued to the walls. "Around 5:00 a.m., hooded individuals caused significant material damage and posted far-right slogans on the walls of the place of worship," the Great Mosque of Paris said in a statement. The religious institution has announced that an investigation has been opened. According to the first elements of the investigation, "hooded individuals caused significant material damage" and "posted far-right slogans on the walls of the place of worship," explains the Great Mosque of Paris.

The Muslim religious institution led by Chems-Eddine Mohamed Hafiz "strongly condemns" this "Islamophobic act" and expresses its "full solidarity" with the president of the Roussillonnaise Muslim Cultural Association (ACMR), Nouredine Louchène, with the "Muslim faithful and the inhabitants of Roussillon, wounded by this attack on religious freedom and social cohesion." "We hope that the perpetrators will be found and brought to justice as soon as possible," it said, calling for a "surge of all citizens to build a bulwark against Islamophobia and all forms of hatred."