France's polarised road to 2027: Repression, racism and the rise of the far right

Grief and anger filled the streets of Trappes, north of Paris, on 30 October as thousands paid tribute to the victims of a racist attack committed a week earlier. A 26-year-old Black man, Pengo Bossio Wangi, was killed and seven other people injured, including a 12-year-old girl.

Placed in pre-trial detention, the suspect, 39-year-old Kevin Tessier, admitted that he had specifically targeted people whom he described as "Muslim, African or North African". Investigators found in his home a copy of Mein Kampf and self-made stickers referencing the National Rally (RN), the far-right party of 2027 presidential candidate Marine Le Pen.