French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the brutal killing of a Muslim worshipper at a mosque in southern France, stating that racism and hatred have no place in the country, AFP has reported.
In his first public remarks on the incident on Sunday, Macron expressed solidarity with France’s Muslim community.
“Racism and hatred based on religion can have no place in France. Freedom of worship must not be violated,” he wrote on X, referring to the attack that occurred on Friday in the village of La Grand-Combe, in the Gard region.
The victim, a young Malian man in his twenties, was fatally stabbed by an attacker who filmed the assault on a mobile phone while shouting insults against Islam.
The footage, showing the victim writhing in pain, was later shared on social media before being removed. The attacker, who reportedly stabbed the victim up to 50 times, fled the scene and remains at large.
A source close to the investigation revealed the suspect, identified only as Olivier, is a French citizen of Bosnian origin who is not Muslim. Authorities have warned that he is considered “extremely dangerous.”
The Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France also condemned the killing, calling it a “despicable crime” that should “revolt the hearts of all French people.”
Meanwhile, the French Council of the Muslim Faith described the incident as an “anti-Muslim terrorist attack” and urged Muslims across France to remain extremely vigilant.
French Prime Minister François Bayrou similarly condemned the killing, describing it as an “Islamophobic atrocity.”
The body of the victim was discovered on Friday morning when other worshippers arrived for prayers.
A protest against Islamophobia is scheduled to take place in Paris on Sunday evening in response to the attack.
Regional prosecutor Abdelkrim Grini has stressed that capturing the attacker is “essential” to prevent further violence.
