Incitement to racial hate in Poitiers

Alert DateOctober 20, 2012 Country: France Address: Poitiers General Type: Racist discourse, Hate crime Racism and discrimination phenomena: Arabophobia
Groups affected / Interested in: Muslims Key socio-economic/institutional areas: Anti-racism Hate speech/Racist Discourse Medium: Public Discourse
Victims Data
Victims Nationality/Ethnic Origin N/A
Victims Gender N/A
Victims Age N/A
Victims Number N/A
Fatalities - deaths N/A
Perpetrators Data
Perpetrators Nationality/Ethnic Origin French
Perpetrator Gender Male
Perpetrator Age 18-25, 26-35
Perpetrators Number 73
Extremist/Organised Group Violence No

Saturday, 22 October 2012 - An extreme right-wing group “Generation Identity” settled on the roof of the future mosque is Poitiers. Some 73 activists unfurled a banner displaying the name of their movement and another stating that "Charles Martel defeated the Arabs at Poitiers in 732." An investigation was opened by the prosecutor of Poitiers for "unauthorized demonstration, incitement to racial hate, theft and degradations". Ten prayer carpets were moved from the mosque on the roof and severely damaged by the rain. By this action, the group asserts to be at the forefront of “the struggle for our identity" and calls for a referendum in France on the non-European immigration and the construction of new mosques.

Sources: 

  1. Le Parisien, 21.10.2012, Des militants d'extrême droite dans la mosquée de Poitiers: quatre garde à vue (Right-wing activists in the Mosque of Poitiers: four police custodies), Accessed on 23.10.2012, http://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/mosquee-de-poitiers-ps-et-pcf-reclament-la-dissolution-de-generation-identitaire-20-10-2012-2250857.php
  2. Le Monde, 20.10.2012, Occupation d'une mosquée : Valls dénonce une "provocation haineuse et inadmissible" (Occupation of a Mosque: Valls denounced a "provocative and unacceptable hate", Accessed on 23.10.2012, http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2012/10/20/mosquee-de-poitiers-trois-militants-d-extreme-droite-mis-en-garde-a-vue_1778568_823448.html