Paris, France | September 10, 2025
French authorities have condemned what they described as a “targeted hate crime” after at least nine pig heads were discovered outside mosques in Paris and its suburbs on September 9, some bearing the name of President Emmanuel Macron.
The grisly finds, placed at mosque entrances ahead of morning prayers, sparked outrage among Muslim communities, who described the act as a deliberate provocation aimed at inciting fear and division. Worshippers were reportedly shocked by the discovery, with many calling for stronger state protection of religious spaces.
The Paris Prosecutor’s Office has since launched an investigation, with security agencies treating the case as an Islamophobic hate crime. France’s Interior Ministry, in a statement, reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding freedom of religion and vowed that those responsible would be brought to justice.
Community leaders have urged calm but demanded swift action, stressing that repeated incidents of Islamophobia threaten the country’s social cohesion. “This is not only an attack on Muslims but on France’s core values of liberty, equality, and fraternity,” one Paris mosque representative said.
The desecrations come amid heightened political and social tensions across France, with analysts warning that religious minorities are increasingly vulnerable to hate-driven violence.