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Moroccan influencer Fatima Saidi, who lives in Madrid, said she was the target of a racist attack on a street in Paris on Wednesday, April 17. Saidi, who documents her life on social media, shared a video of the incident.
«Travelling to Paris as a Muslim Hijabi is very fun except for when a racist Parisian man spits on your Hijab cuz he thinks he’s better than you», the 22-year-old said on her Instagram account.
«I was shocked when my friend who lives in Paris told me after this man literally spat at us while we were choosing a restaurant to have lunch at, ‘ah this is normal, happens to me every time, don’t worry’. I was filled with rage at how the victims of daily harassment and racism are so desensitised and feel that this is totally fine», she added.
«People like him need to face consequences for their actions. He knows we are two harmless girls, so he used his white male privilege against us. He knew nothing is ever going to happen to him. We’re just two apparent Muslim girls, what’s the worst we can do to him, right?» she wrote on a video caption.
«The fact that he spat at me twice even on camera shows how he doesn’t fear anything because he knows there will be no consequences for him. We’re two powerless girls he decided to harass for the way we freely choose to dress», said fatima, who had filed a complaint.
Paris City Council condemns the attack
The Paris City Council reacted to the incident and expressed its support for the girl. «She was right to file a complaint, it's a completely scandalous act», Frédéric Hocquard, the deputy in charge of tourism in the city council, told BFMTV. He emphasized Paris' commitment to fighting racism and anti-Islamic sentiment.
J’étais ce matin sur @BFMTV pour exprimer mon soutien à la touriste marocaine qui a été victime d’une agression raciste et islamophobe à Paris la semaine dernière. https://t.co/VnHC6GZEYF
— Frédéric Hocquard (@Fredhoc) April 21, 2024
Paris should be «exemplary on issues of integration, rejection of racism, and condemnation of anti-Islamic action», he wrote on his X account. «I support this Moroccan tourist who is clearly a victim of despicable racism. Paris is a city open to all cultures», he added.
Agression inacceptable dans notre démocratie.
— Aurélien Véron (@aurelien_veron) April 20, 2024
Ne pas laisser passer, retrouver le coupable et le sanctionner afin de dissuader ceux qui seraient tentés d’agir de manière aussi répugnante. https://t.co/DGnRnEegDg
Aurélien Veron, another member of the Paris City Council, condemned the attack, calling it «an unacceptable aggression in our democracy». Veron urged authorities to find and punish the perpetrator «to discourage those who might be tempted to behave in such a hateful way».
