Paris: French authorities have launched a criminal investigation after pigs’ heads were discovered outside nine mosques in France capital Paris and its surrounding suburbs on Tuesday, September 9. Officials are treating the incidents as a coordinated act of anti-Muslim provocation.
The heads were placed at the entrances of mosques in multiple locations, including Montreuil, Montrouge, Malakoff, Gentilly, and four districts within the capital. The timing and manner of the incidents — all occurring within hours — suggest deliberate coordination.
Police reviewed surveillance footage showing at least one suspect placing a pig’s head outside a mosque in the 20th arrondissement before walking away. In another case in Montreuil, one of the heads was found inside a suitcase.
Visual evidence broadcast by BFMTV revealed one pig’s head with the word “MACRON” scrawled in large blue letters across its forehead, referencing French President Emmanuel Macron. This political message, present on multiple heads, amplifies the severity of the desecrations.
In a post on X, Paris Police Chief Laurent Numez called the attacks “vile” and wrote, “An investigation has been opened immediately. Every effort is being made to identify and apprehend the perpetrators of these despicable acts.”
On Wednesday, September 10, the Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed that the two primary suspects are foreign nationals who have since left French territory. Investigators say the men used a Croatian mobile phone number and drove a vehicle with Serbian registration plates. Their phone signal was last traced near the French-Belgian border in the early hours of Tuesday, shortly after the attacks occurred, AFP reported.
The investigation began after a Normandy-based pig farmer contacted police, reporting that the suspects had purchased several pigs days earlier under suspicious circumstances.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau issued a strong condemnation, calling the incidents “absolutely unacceptable” and “an outrageous insult to our Republican values.” He added, “No one has the right to insult any religion. I want our Muslim compatriots to be able to practise their faith in peace.”
In a statement posted on X, the Grand Mosque of Paris condemned a series of Islamophobic acts after pig heads were placed at several mosques in Paris and the Île-de-France region, including one within the Institut des Cultures d’Islam.
The head of the Grand Mosque, Chems-eddine Hafiz, called the attacks “a sad new stage in the rise of anti-Muslim hatred,” and revealed that President Emmanuel Macron’s name was written on some of the heads, describing it as “very unfortunate.”
He urged authorities to adopt stronger measures to protect Islamic places of worship, recalling recent desecrations targeting the Holocaust Memorial and other religious sites.
Rising anti-Muslim hate crimes in France
In Islam, pigs are considered impure, and the use of pig remains in this context is widely interpreted as a direct attack on the Muslim faith. Leaders across France’s Muslim communities have condemned the acts as Islamophobic and have warned of rising intolerance.
France, home to over six million Muslims — the largest Muslim population in Europe — has witnessed a surge in religious hate crimes in recent years. According to the Interior Ministry, anti-Muslim incidents rose by 75 percent in the first five months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. Physical assaults on individuals have tripled during that time.
