Anti-Muslim acts on rise in France
At least as many anti-Muslim acts have taken place in France since the terror attacks this month as for all of last year, a leading Muslim group has reported.
The French Council for the Muslim Religion said 128 anti-Muslim actions or threats were reported from January 7-20 – a number that does not include the densely populated Paris region. That is compared to 133 in all of France, including Paris, in 2014.
Three Islamic extremist gunmen carried out the attacks, which began on January 7 with the killing of 12 people at the offices of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, which lampooned religion and had been threatened repeatedly after publishing caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed.
Since then, mosques have suffered a grenade attack, shots and repeated vandalism, and stores owned by Muslims have been burned.
At least one person was assaulted and taken to hospital, said Abdallah Zekri, of the National Observatory Against Islamophobia, which worked with the group to produce the total.
Mr Zekri said the report only included those attacks that were reported to police.
The French government last week deployed security forces to protect mosques and synagogues, as well as other places deemed in danger since the terror attacks that left 20 people dead, including three gunmen killed in stand-offs with police.
