The 69-year-old gunman that orchestrated the attack on the Kurdish cultural centre in Paris on Friday admitted that his actions had a “racist motive.” He accepted that he held a “pathological” hatred against migrants, adding that Friday’s attack did not target “Kurds in particular.”
The assailant, William M., was previously convicted in 2016 by a Paris court for weapon-related crimes and eventually appealed before the country. In 2017, he was sentenced for possessing a firearm. Further, he was charged with a racist attack on migrants, wherein he attacked and slashed their tents in eastern Paris in December 2021.
He was released on bail earlier this month for reasons that authorities have not disclosed to the public yet.
On Friday, the gunman opened fire at the Kurdish Centre Ahmet Kaya and an adjacent hair salon in a central district in Paris. The centre organises several charity events to assist Kurds in Paris.
Three died and three others reported injuries during the attack. One of those injured remains in intensive care and the other two were severely wounded.
While slashing migrants with a sword last year, today's #Paris gunman declared he was “fed up with foreigners."
— Rula Jebreal (@rulajebreal) December 23, 2022
1 year after his release from prison, he killed 3 Kurds.
Terrorism by White Supremacists is underreported & goes largely unaddressed in Europe. pic.twitter.com/0e093N1c4U
One of the deceased was Emine Kara, a leader of the Kurdish Women’s Movement in France, whose claim for political asylum was rejected by the French government. In addition, one political refugee and an artist died during the attack.
According to a source cited by RFI, he was arrested and found in possession of 25 cartridges and “two or three loaded magazines,” including the “much-used” United States Army Colt 1911 pistol. Authorities later shifted the assailant to a psychiatric facility after reporting that he had a “depressive” personality and “suicidal” tendencies.
While he has been charged with racist violence, authorities have not been able to find a definitive link between the assailant and any right-wing groups.
Soon after the incident, several Kurds launched protests near the area of the attack. The demonstration turned violent as the protestors attempted to break through a security cordon set up to protect Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who was visiting the attack site. Protestors also set fires on the street and smashed car windows.
This is PKK in France.
— İbrahim Kalın (@ikalin1) December 25, 2022
The same terrorist organization you support in Syria.
The same PKK that has killed thousands of Turks, Kurds & security forces over the last 40 years.
Now they are burning the streets of Paris.
Will you still remain silent?pic.twitter.com/5Tv72bPnnn
According to police sources, 31 officers and one protestor were injured in the skirmishes, with 11 others arrested on Friday. The police used tear gas in an attempt to quell the protests.
Security officials also met with Kurdish leaders on Saturday to urge them to help end the protests.
French President Emmanuel Macron called the incident an “odious attack” and demanded that the police head meets with the Kurdish community on Saturday.
In addition, members of the Kurdish community gathered in central Paris on Saturday and launched a protest.
Déjà des milliers de personnes sur la place de la République avant même le début de la manifestation pour dénoncer l'odieux attentat terroriste qui a tué 3 militants #kurdes au siège du #CDKF, hier, dans le 10e arrondissement de Paris#JeSuisKurde pic.twitter.com/BMJtKRO9A1
— Conseil Démocratique Kurde en France (@Le_CDKF) December 24, 2022
The Kurdish Democratic Council in France (CDF-K) released a statement condemning the “despicable attack” and calling on the government to take action. The Ahmet Kaya centre’s spokesperson, Agit Polat, said the attack showed that French authorities had failed to protect Kurds “once more.”
The Kurds are an ethnic Muslim group from Syria, Turkey, Iraq, and Iran. The Turkish government has deployed its army to combat Kurdish militancy in southeast Turkey and northern Iraq and Syria.
As a result, several Kurdish community members have turned to European countries to secure asylum.
The attack came amid a surge in racist crimes in France. The Interior Ministry reported a 13% increase in such crimes from 2019 to 2021 and an 11% increase from 2018 to 2019. The government data excludes statistics for 2020 due to several lockdowns. The data shows increased attacks targeting individuals of African descent and religion-based violence.