Far-right rhetoric linked to racially motivated shooting in French suburb

International Viewpoint reported that a man, influenced by Islamophobic and racist slogans from the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) and other right-wing groups, carried out a mass shooting in Trappes, a working-class town in the Paris suburbs.

The attacker used a submachine gun to shoot several people, killing one man and wounding seven others, including a 12-year-old girl wearing a headscarf, according to International Viewpoint.

The shooter deliberately targeted individuals he perceived as North African or Black African, choosing Trappes specifically for this reason.

An investigation revealed that the man was influenced by racist content on social networks, including videos promoting hatred against Jews and Arabs, and expressed sympathy for the RN, even printing militant material with the party's logo.

International Viewpoint noted that this incident occurred amid a political context where far-right parties like the RN are increasingly seen as respectable political forces capable of forming government coalitions, a shift from reactions in the 1990s.