Paris: French authorities have opened a criminal investigation after pigs’ heads were discovered outside nine mosques in Paris and nearby suburbs on September 9. The incidents, which took place in locations including Montreuil, Montrouge, Malakoff, Gentilly, and several districts within the capital, are being treated as a coordinated act of anti-Muslim provocation. Surveillance footage captured at least one suspect leaving a pig’s head near a mosque in the 20th arrondissement, while another head in Montreuil was hidden inside a suitcase. In a shocking detail, several of the remains bore the word “MACRON” scrawled across the forehead, directly referencing French President Emmanuel Macron.
Paris Police Chief Laurent Numez condemned the acts as “vile,” promising swift action to apprehend those responsible. Investigators confirmed that the two main suspects, identified as foreign nationals, have already fled France. Traces of a Croatian phone number and a Serbian-registered vehicle led authorities to believe that the pair crossed into Belgium shortly after the attacks. A pig farmer in Normandy also came forward, informing police that the men had purchased pigs under suspicious circumstances just days before the desecrations. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau strongly denounced the incidents as “absolutely unacceptable,” stressing that religious freedom must be protected and Muslim citizens must be allowed to practice their faith in peace.
The Grand Mosque of Paris, along with several other Islamic institutions, expressed outrage and sorrow over the desecrations, describing them as a disturbing escalation in Islamophobic hate crimes. Chems-eddine Hafiz, head of the Grand Mosque, called it a “new stage in anti-Muslim hatred” and urged stronger state measures to safeguard religious sites. France, which has the largest Muslim population in Europe at over six million, has seen a sharp rise in religious hate crimes, with Interior Ministry data showing a 75 percent increase in anti-Muslim incidents in the first five months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. Leaders warn that unless urgent action is taken, such provocations could deepen divisions and further threaten the social fabric of the country.
