Insecurity in France: Calls for Interior Minister Retailleau’s Resignation Multiply
Calls for the resignation of French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau are mounting across France following his ministry’s failure to protect Aboubakeur Cissé, a young Muslim man who was brutally stabbed to death while praying in a mosque.
Sabrina Sebaihi, a member of the Ecologist and Social group in the National Assembly, called on Retailleau to resign “without delay,” insisting that stepping down was “the only decent outcome” for him. “Last Friday, Aboubakeur Cissé was massacred—stabbed dozens of times in a mosque while praying—killed for being Muslim. In the face of this Islamophobic terrorist attack, where was the minister responsible for protecting all our citizens regardless of faith?” she asked during her speech in Parliament.
Sebaihi criticized Retailleau’s delayed reaction, noting it took him two days to respond and that he visited only a local sub-prefecture rather than the crime scene or the victim’s family. She reminded him that as Interior Minister, he is also responsible for religious affairs, accusing him of betraying that role. “Your silence, your contempt, your absence is not just a political failure—it’s a moral one. It signals that to you, the life of a Muslim citizen is worth less than that of others,” she stated.
Her condemnation was echoed by Socialist Senator Alexandre Ouizille, who decried Retailleau’s previous rhetoric, including statements targeting the religious practices of Muslim women. He cited a wider societal climate conditioned to hostility toward Muslims—fueled by media figures, influencers, authors, and government officials—warning of their significant responsibility in the rising hate.
Left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI) also demanded Retailleau’s removal, accusing him of orchestrating and fueling Islamophobia in France on a daily basis. Even Xavier Bertrand, president of the Hauts-de-France region and a Retailleau ally, acknowledged that the Interior Minister should have acted sooner, reaffirming that he is “also the minister for religious affairs.”
