Anti-Muslim Acts Soar in France since Paris Attacks

Local Editor

The number of anti-Muslim incidents in France has soared since the Paris attacks, with 128 such acts registered over two weeks, almost the same amount as all 2014, a watchdog said Friday.

The National Observatory Against Islamophobia said 33 acts against mosques in particular and 95 threats had been reported to authorities since the January 7-9 shooting spree by three French extremists that killed 17, compared to a total of 133 such incidents in 2014.

The tally for the two weeks since January 7 do not include incidents in Paris and its surrounding region, where police have yet to release their figures.

The number of anti-Muslim incidents in 2014 had dropped 41 percent from the previous year, according to the watchdog.

"But these figures do not reflect reality, as many Muslims don't want to systematically file a complaint when they are victims of xenophobic acts, convinced that there will be no follow-up, which is unfortunately often the case," the observatory said.

Meanwhile, several French former soldiers have joined the ranks of extremists fighting in Syria and Iraq, the country's government confirmed on Wednesday, as it outlined a series of new anti-terrorism measures following the attacks in Paris.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team