On Oct. 23, in Trappes, a 26-year-old man named Pengo Bossio Wangi was shot and killed by an assailant firing bursts of gunfire at random passersby. Seven other people sustained injuries in the attack, including a 12-year-old girl. The shooter, described as closely tied to violent ultra-right extremism, stated he targeted individuals of African, North African, or Muslim background. Authorities discovered a copy of Mein Kampf at his residence, which he had booby-trapped.
Writing in a commentary, a former mayor of Évry condemned the shooting as a heinous, xenophobic, and racist terrorist act that demands collective outrage. The author drew on his background as the 11-year mayor of Évry to address the social crises and stigmatization facing suburban communities, while warning against political confusion and the exploitation of victimhood across the political spectrum.
The Long List of Racist Violence
The author rejected initial remarks by the president of the Republic—who had stated that, for the first time, French citizens were targeted for their skin color or religion before later issuing a correction—arguing that the nation’s history of identity-based killings runs deep. The commentary points to previous targeted murders, including those of Ilan Halimi, children at the Ozar Hatorah school, shoppers at the Hyper Cacher, the father Hamel, Aboubakar Cissé stabbed in a mosque in the Gard department, and Hichem Miraoui shot in the Var department in what prosecutors treated as a racist killing potentially linked to the far right.
The author emphasized that entering a competitive victimization war only plays into the hands of those seeking to fracture the nation. He noted that Trappes mirrors contemporary French social upheavals, having witnessed young residents leave for jihad in Syria while concurrently housing thousands of hardworking citizens who reject extremism. He pushed back against characterizations of the town by National Rally leaders as “Kabul” or a miniature Islamic republic.
Political Divisions and the Definition of Racism
The commentary addresses the complex landscape of security, immigration, and territorial segregation without falling into blanket generalizations about local populations or domestic Muslims. The author explicitly rejected the term “islamophobie,” arguing that it deliberately blurs the line between criticizing a religion—a protected freedom—and hating individuals, which constitutes a crime. He warned that the term has been used to silence figures like Salman Rushdie and targeted the staff of Charlie Hebdo.
Simultaneously, the author criticized the radical left party LFI over its stance on antisemitism and its refusal to categorize Hamas as a terrorist organization following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, stating that one cannot fight racism while tolerating another form of bigotry. He argued that France recognizes only citizens rather than distinct religious or ethnic communities under the framework of secularism established by the 1905 law.
The Defense of National Unity
The author concluded that the unbridled spread of hatred across social media, media outlets, and political discourse ideologically arms those willing to carry out violent acts. He called for republicans across the political spectrum to unite against racism, antisemitism, replacement theories, and societal violence. Pengo Bossio Wangi, he wrote, died because a gunman decided he did not belong, affirming that the victim belonged entirely to the nation.
Worth a look
