“When you see the time that it took the Minister of the Interior to answer … This gives the impression that the French of the Muslim faith have no place in our country,” said Ludovic Mendes, member of the National Assembly of the centrist group of Macron who recently wrote a report on Islamophobia in France.
The detractors of Retailleau add that his ardent remarks criticizing the Muslim scarf – he shouted “with the veil” during a recent gathering – fuel what Mendes describes as “ordinary racism” in France at a time when official statistics show that anti -Muslims’ crimes increase. The reports of such incidents increased from 72% from January to March this year compared to the same period in 2024, according to figures from the Ministry of the Interior.
Retailleau was also criticized from his own political camp. Xavier Bertrand, the conservative president of the Northern Hauts-de-France region and supporter of the Retailleau party leadership, told BFMTV that he was “firmly convinced” that the Minister of the Interior should have visited the attack site “immediately”.
“When a man is wildly murdered in France because he is Muslim, we must fight this … Our indignation cannot depend on the circumstances,” said Bertrand.
The alleged striker fled the premises and stayed as a whole for three days before going to the authorities in Italy on Monday. Prosecutor Abdelkrim Grini said that even if hatred was considered the most likely reason, other scenarios are still examined.
The lawyer for the aggressor, addressing journalists in Italy, said that his client had “said nothing against Islam or the mosque” and was “confused” by the accusation that his acts were motivated by hatred.
Elena Giordano contributed to this report.
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