On Sunday 14 July in Trappes (west of Paris) a 21-year-old Muslim woman wearing the veil was attacked by two men in their 30s who lived in the same area as the young woman.

As she crossed the bridge in Trappes on her way home, accompanied by her two-year-old niece, the two assailants insulted her: “bitch”, “dirty veiled woman”. She didn’t reply and when she turned towards them one of them said “yes, I’m talking to you”.

Oblivious to the presence of the child, he pulled out a knife with a blade of 10 to 15cm while declaring “anyway we’re going to exterminate you Muslims, and you’ll be the first”. As he approached his victim with his knife, a man intervened and blocked his path, putting the two attackers to flight.

Dangerous and determined to attack Muslims, they violently struck a man they came across in the street with a belt.

Both individuals were eventually arrested and were tried on Tuesday 16 July at the criminal court in Versailles. They were sentenced to two months in prison and ordered to pay 300 euros in damages to the young woman and 600 euros in damages to the young man.

This was not the men’s first offence, they were already known and convicted for acts of violence and racial abuse.

Collectif contre l’Islamophobie en France, 17 July 2013

The CCIF adds that the most disturbing aspect of the case is that the attack was carried out a knifepoint, as appears to have been the case in another recent attack in Reims. They ask: “Insults, physical attacks and assaults with weapons, where will it end up?”