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Muslims and non-Muslims across the world expressed anger and frustration on social media after a video showing a man attacking two women, including one who was wearing the Muslim hijab in Montpelier in France.
The video shows a man wearing a red jacket pulling the hair of one of the women. Both women were crying for help, while the man deliberately attacked them publicly.
?Conséquences de l’#IslamophobieEtat :
Aujourd’hui à Montpellier, plusieurs jeunes femmes musulmanes dont certaines portant le #Hijab se sont faites agresser par un homme.
L’une des victimes témoigne :
?? pic.twitter.com/vf1I5JE9oz— Decolonial News (@DecolonialNews) April 12, 2022
Police said they have opened an investigation to identify the attacker, as well as the other circumstances surrounding the case.
“We strongly condemn this attack which will result in the necessary legal consequences. Respect for others is the cornerstone of our democratic society,” the Herault prefecture wrote on Twitter.
Social network users have been heavily sharing the video online, calling for a police intervention to arrest the suspect.
Other internet users have condemned the lack of news reports on the attack, describing it as “Islamophobic.”
Pourquoi l’agression filmée des jeunes filles en hijab par un islamophobe ne fait pas la une des chaînes infos? #Montpellier
— Vanneur ???? (@Vanneur) April 12, 2022
“Wondering why news channels have not reported on the filmed attack of the women wearing hijab,” a Twitter user said.
Another Twitter user condemned the attack against the two young women assaulted by the man, denouncing the lack of media reports and reactions from politicians.
“Apparently, the fact that two underage Muslim girls are assaulted by an Islamophobic coward doesn’t even deserve a 1 minute on the news and condemnation from politicians…” the tweet reads.
This is not the first time Muslim women have experienced Islamophobic attacks in France.
In 2020, a video of a man and a woman beating two siblings from Jordan went viral online. The video sparked outrage among social network users, who condemned mounting racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia in the European country.
The French population is estimated to be 65.10 million in 2019. The Muslim community in France represents 8% of the population or six million.
NGOs and the Muslim community have been concerned about inaction to tackle Islamophobia in the country.
In 2020, the Organization against Islamophobia in France (CCIF) said that Islamophobic attacks increased by 52% in 2018 compared with 2017.
Muslims are more concerned with the issue at present, particularly amid the ongoing elections as several candidates were promoting anti-Islam rhetoric during their campaigns.
Last week, French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen vowed to issue fines against Muslims who wear the hijab in public.
“People will be given a fine in the same way that it is illegal to not wear your seat belt. It seems to me that the police are very much able to enforce this measure,” she said.
