Trappes: Demonstration against racism one week after attack
Several thousand people are expected in Trappes on Friday for a gathering against racism and Islamophobia, one week after an attack that killed one man and wounded seven others.
Gathering of remembrance in Trappes
According to TF1 Info, a gathering will be held on Friday 30 October at 6 p.m. at Place des Merisiers in Trappes, one week after the shooting attack on 23 October. The authorities are expecting several thousand people to participate. Mayor Ali Rabeh emphasised that "the population of Trappes has been deeply marked by the event and needs to come together". Security measures have been strengthened to "secure a city that has been traumatised".
Several left-wing political figures, including Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Raphaël Glucksmann and Ségolène Royal, are expected to be present. The mayor told AFP that the event constitutes "a time of remembrance, a time of comfort for the families of the victims", but also "to demonstrate that we need a rallying moment in our country". He added: "When I said, in the hours following the attack, that there are words which arm the hands of terrorists, we have an irrefutable demonstration from the attacker himself".
The 23 October attack: toll and investigation
On 23 October, a man fired several times at passers-by in Trappes and La Verrière. A 26-year-old French national, Pengo Bossio Wangi, was killed. Seven other people, several of African or North African origin, were wounded. A young girl was peppered with bullets in La Verrière.
The suspect, Kévin T., was referred to court on Thursday by an anti-terrorism judge. According to the national anti-terrorism prosecutor, the man admitted to having targeted Muslim, African or North African people and to having deliberately chosen Trappes, which he regarded as a "den of Islamists". He acknowledged a racist motive but denied any terrorist intention. A "national tribute", presided over by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, will be held shortly. Another gathering will take place on Friday at 4 p.m. in front of the town hall in La Verrière.
Source: TF1 Info