The caretaker of the Avicenne cultural center in Rennes found the graffiti on the walls of the building around 6 am while prayers were taking place on Sunday morning.

“No to Islamization,” “Long live the King,” “Mohamed pedophile prophet,” “Eternal France”, “The crusades will begin again” and “Catholicism religion of the State” were among the slogans, photos of which were quickly handed over to police.

The vandals depicted symbols of Christian crosses, fleur-de-lis and the Chi-rho.

“Just two days before the announcement of Ramadan, worshippers are shocked to find these obscene words. It’s very violent, our community is very upset,” said Mohammed Zaidouni, the president of the regional Muslim council in Britanny. “We are children of the Republic and we’re faced with violence and barbarism.”

The Rennes court opened an investigation into vandalism of a religious nature.

Public prosecutor Philippe Astruc affirmed that special attention would be duly given to the case due to its sensitive nature. He compared the diligence of the case to the attempt to destroy the Rennes cathedral in a fire in June 2020.

The perpetrators of the vandals are looking at four years in jail and a fine of 30,000 euros.

French interior minister Gérald Darmanin responded on Twitter offering his support to the Muslim community of France.

“These anti-Muslim inscriptions are unacceptable,” he tweeted, saying he would visit the community later on Sunday.

“These actions do not have a place in France, including in Rennes. All my support goes to the people of Rennes and in particular those worshippers shocked by such intolerable actions,” shared mayor Nathalie Appéré of the Socialist Party on social media.

“Hatred only produces hatred,” wrote Sandra Régol, second in charge of the local branch of the EELV green party, which was also included in the graffiti with the words “EELV = traitors”.

“Recent history has taught us that any debate over Islam are often accompanied by increased anti-Muslim acts,” pointed out Mohammed Moussaoui, president of the French council of Muslim Faith (CFCM) in a statement.

“The proposed law on separatism has unfortunately unleashed hatred from all sides,” he wrote, referring to the government’s recent bill on reinforcing Republican values, which touches on aspects related to radicalization within religious communities.

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