In recent days, France has been shocked by a case in which a 22-year-old Moroccan man is suspected of murdering and raping a young woman. The suspect had previously received a deportation order from France.
A 19-year-old woman was found murdered last week Saturday in the Boulogne forest, which is a large park-like forest area west of Paris. The woman died in the afternoon on Friday, September 20. He was found half-buried in the woods the next day.
The woman was a student at the nearby Paris Dauphine University. His body was found a few hundred meters from the university.
The case has caused a huge uproar in France and has been widely featured in both traditional media and social media. After the incident, politicians from right-wing parties in particular have demanded tightening of immigration policy.
The suspect had previously been convicted of rape
A man suspected of murder was wounded by the police in Switzerland on Tuesday.
He was sentenced in France in 2021 to seven years in prison for the rape committed in 2019. However, the man was already released in June of this year.
The suspect received a deportation order from France in June. However, the order had not been implemented.
“After the incident, I installed a locator on my phone”
On Friday, many young women jogging in the Boulogne forest said that the death of a young woman in the area has caused them fear.
Violence against women has been in the spotlight a lot in France in recent weeks, as the country has watched an extraordinary rape trial in which a 71-year-old man is accused of raping his wife together with 50 other men.
The place of death is located in the prosperous 16th arrondissement of Paris, a stone’s throw away from Riemukaari.
The nearly 850-hectare area is a popular place for recreation and outdoor activities. The forest is called the lungs of Paris, as it is significantly larger than other green areas of the capital.
The area is also known as a place where prostitution and drug trafficking are practiced. The murder that happened in the middle of Friday afternoon was still extraordinary.
On Friday, interviewed people who were outside in the Boulogne forest. They did not want to appear in the story with their last name.
A 28-year-old running in an orange sports shirt Philippines knows the area well, as he attended the same university as the victim.
– After last week, I no longer want to come here in the evenings and I only travel on routes with other people. Before, I didn’t even think about the whole thing. Now I find myself observing other people around me.
Trap26, is walking in a group of three. He lives next to the forest and used to jog in the area regularly.
– I don’t dare to come here alone anymore, only in the company of other people. This is a wonderful place and it’s a real shame that you can’t feel safe in your own neighborhood anymore.
Léa30, is also on a lunch hour run. He lives in the next block and runs in the forest four times a week.
– I’ve already been careful here before, but after last week I installed a tracker on my phone so that my friends can track my movements, he says, pointing to the phone on his arm.
Léa says she is shocked by the events.
– This is a really peaceful area and I never would have thought that something so terrible could happen here and in broad daylight.
The new government wants to tighten immigration policies
Immigration has long been a controversial topic in French politics.
After the murder in Paris, many politicians from both the right and the left have criticized the fact that the deportation order for the Moroccan man suspected of the murder had not been implemented.
Fresh Minister of the Interior, conservative party Republicans Bruno Retailleau rumbled earlier this week that the government plans to take steps to make deporting foreigners from France easier in the future.
Retailleau has announced the eradication of illegal immigration as one of its key goals.
Far-right party Leader of the National Alliance Jordan Bardella demanded BFM TV on Thursday in the interview deportation of foreigners immediately after they have committed a crime.
Secretary General of the Socialist Party Olivier Faure in turn criticized on Wednesday a practice in which detainees are released even though they have been found to be dangerous to society.
Member of Parliament of the Green Party Sandrine Rousseau in turn wrote message service in Xthat the extreme right has used the individual case as a way to push a racist agenda. According to Rousseau, the case is primarily about violence against women, which should be addressed.
Far-right groups have announced that they will organize demonstrations in various parts of France on Sunday, demanding a stricter immigration policy.