The facade of a Turkish mosque in Metz, eastern France, was slightly damaged on Thursday night against Friday during the week by Molotov cocktail incendiary bottles, AFP reported. This caused a stir in the city, where a rally is planned for Saturday. The investigation is entrusted to the departmental security, Metz prosecutor Yves Badork told AFP, adding that “at this stage, no version is given priority.”
“I strongly condemn this act of Islamophobia,” Metz mayor Francois Grosdidie said on Twitter, calling for a “support rally” at noon in the city center. “This is the first case of an attack on a place of worship in Metz. We have never succumbed to this desire for destruction. This is an extremely serious fact,” the city councilor confirmed on the local radio station. The damage was determined by “believers who came to the (Friday) morning prayer,” said the secretary of the Turkish community association, which runs the mosque’s religious and cultural center. A complaint has been filed, he said. Three Molotov cocktail bottles were placed in front of the façade, but only two were set on fire, he added, adding that the center had never been the target of such an attack.
The flames have slightly blackened the facade in places. A bottle was placed near the electrical installation with the obvious intention of damaging it.
“Everyone is amazed,” the secretary added, calling for “unification”, the key word at Saturday’s Metz demonstration.
