From UPI
PARIS, Nov. 19 (UPI) — “Islamophobic” vandalism was on the rise in France this week, where the Grand Mosque of Paris was tagged with racist graffiti in the latest incident.
Grand Mosque President Dalil Boubakeur said the wall and door of the religious site was desecrated overnight Monday with an inscription “insulting to Muslims and Islam,” the daily Ouest France reported.
“We deeply deplore the racist violence and hostility shown against the iconic institution of Islam in France that is the Mosque of Paris,” he said in a statement.
Boubakeur indicated he had filed a complaint with the police commissioner of Paris’ 5th arrondissement.
Abdallah Zekri, president of the French National Observatory Against Islamophobia, also condemned what he called a “heinous act.”
Zekri’s own residence in Nimes, France, was defaced by neo-Nazi and anti-Islamic graffiti last month.
Meanwhile, Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe issued a statement expressing his “indignation and anger,” adding, “tags that are abusive … are both irresponsible and unacceptable.”
