French President Emmanuel Macron has declared a deadly shooting outside Paris a "terrorist and racist attack" after a gunman opened fire at multiple locations Friday, killing one person and wounding five others, including a 12-year-old girl.
And the attack comes at a volatile moment for France, which is preparing for another weekend of mass demonstrations following days of rioting and looting.
"What happened today is, I am telling you, a turning point, because it is the first time we have had a terrorist act that was planned to kill our compatriots, our children, based on the colour of their skin or their religion," Macron said.
"There is no place for this in France."
Macron gave a moralizing statement that turned the tragedy into a call to action. At the same time, he ran damage control for his reckless statement that had ignored the victims of terrorist attacks in the past.
Ce soir, la Nation est en deuil après l’attentat terroriste qui a frappé Trappes et La Verrière. Nous sommes confrontés à un acte d’une gravité extrême et qui par son caractère raciste avéré marque un tournant pour notre pays. Monsieur Pengo Bossio Wangi a perdu la vie. Cinq autres personnes sont en urgence absolue, dont une petite fille qui lutte pour survivre. Nous pensons à chacune et chacun d’entre eux, à leurs proches, à leurs familles. Nous leur devons le soutien, l’affection et la solidarité de toute la Nation. Ce qui s’est passé aujourd’hui nous oblige. J’ai redit ce soir le soutien de la Nation à toutes les victimes et à leurs familles. J’ai également rappelé notre détermination absolue à poursuivre le combat contre le racisme, sous toutes ses formes. Je veux aussi rappeler une vérité essentielle et éviter toute polémique : notre pays a connu, ces dernières années, des attentats qui ont frappé des chrétiens parce qu’ils étaient chrétiens et des juifs parce qu’ils étaient juifs. Aucune de ces victimes ne doit être oubliée. Aucune douleur ne doit être hiérarchisée. Et je veux que rien, ce soir, ne vienne ajouter à la peine des familles, à la tristesse du pays et au recueillement de la nation. Notre combat est celui de l’universalisme, celui de la République, celui de notre unité et de notre cohésion. Il n’y a rien de plus important ce soir. Une France unie qui pleure ses enfants, qui accompagne les victimes et leurs proches. Une France qui combat le racisme, l’antisémitisme et toutes les formes de haine et de persécution fondées sur la religion ou la couleur de peau. C’est cette France que nous devons défendre. C’est pour son unité, pour la sécurité de chacune et de chacun, et pour les valeurs qui nous rassemblent que je me battrai jusqu’au bout.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 23, 2026
Macron wrote:
Tonight, the Nation is in mourning following the terrorist attack that struck Trappes and La Verrière.
We are confronted with an act of extreme gravity, and one that, by its proven racist nature, marks a turning point for our country.
Mr. Pengo Bossio Wangi lost his life. Five other people are in absolute emergency, including a little girl who is fighting for her survival. We think of each and every one of them, of their loved ones, of their families. We owe them the support, affection, and solidarity of the entire Nation.
What happened today compels us. Tonight, I have reiterated the Nation's support for all the victims and their families. I have also reaffirmed our absolute determination to continue the fight against racism, in all its forms.
I also want to recall an essential truth and avoid any controversy: in recent years, our country has experienced attacks that targeted Christians because they were Christians and Jews because they were Jews. None of these victims must be forgotten. No pain must be ranked above another. And I want nothing tonight to add to the grief of the families, to the sorrow of the country, or to the nation's solemn reflection.
Our fight is one of universalism, of the Republic, of our unity and our cohesion. There is nothing more important tonight.
A united France that mourns its children, that stands by the victims and their loved ones.
A France that combats racism, antisemitism, and all forms of hatred and persecution based on religion or skin color.
This is the France we must defend. It is for its unity, for the safety of each and every one, and for the values that bring us together that I will fight to the end.
The popular European news account Visegrad 24 gave a statement that explained the controversy that Macron had incited.
Macron says that today’s shooting in Trappes was aimed at migrants and was the first terror attack in French history against a group of people targeted because of their skin color and religion.
He is naturally lying, as there have been several such Islamist attacks in France in recent years that were carried out against Jews or Christians.
2012: Mohammed Merah attacks a Jewish school in Toulouse and murders a rabbi and three children.
2015: Amedy Coulibaly murders four Jews at the Hypercacher kosher supermarket in Paris.
2016: Adel Kermiche and Abdel Malik Petitjean storm a church in Normandy and murder 85-year-old priest Jacques Hamel by slitting his throat. They also critically wound an 86-year-old man.
2020: Brahim Aouissaoui storms a Catholic basilica in Nice and stabs three people to death.
Macron stated today: “What happened today is a turning point. It is the first time there has been a terrorist act planned to kill our compatriots, our children, because of the color of their skin or their religion.”
According to Reuters, the shootings occurred Friday morning in Trappes and La Verrière, approximately 15 miles southwest of central Paris.
The gunman allegedly fired from a vehicle at several locations, including a gas station, a medical center and an area near a children's playground.
The 12-year-old victim was reportedly struck eight times and hospitalized with serious injuries.
French authorities arrested a 39-year-old suspect identified as Kevin T., whose full surname has not been released.
Investigators reportedly recovered a Sten submachine gun and a tear gas grenade from his vehicle.
The national anti-terrorism prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into the attack, which Macron said was motivated by racial and religious hatred.
The mayor of Trappes, Ali Rabeh, described a horrifying scene.
The attacker "appeared to be firing at random and seemed intent on carrying out a massacre," Rabeh told French media.
He said it was a "miracle" that more people were not killed.
Macron's government now faces the prospect of another major security emergency as the French capital prepares for large demonstrations Saturday.
As RedState reported Thursday, the French president has already moved to restrict demonstrations following violent unrest that left vehicles burned, businesses looted and public buildings damaged.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said approximately 70,000 security personnel would be deployed across France this weekend. Major Paris museums, including the Louvre, are expected to remain closed.
And the security situation is already disrupting major sporting events.
French authorities have ordered the postponement of Sunday's Paris Saint-Germain match against Lyon, moving the soccer fixture to Monday because police resources are stretched thin.
But the NFL is still planning to hold its first regular-season game in France. The Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints are scheduled to face off Sunday at Stade de France, with kickoff set for 9:30 AM ET.
As RedState reported, the Steelers already canceled a planned fan event in Paris because of the unrest.
The NFL has announced heightened security measures for the game and says it is coordinating with French authorities and the U.S. State Department.
President Trump has also questioned whether the event should proceed amid the violence, while Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said the game would not be played if conditions were unsafe.
Meanwhile, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell continued discussing the league's international expansion during a Friday appearance in Paris, suggesting future games could be held in Tokyo.
That's quite a contrast. France is deploying tens of thousands of security personnel, a major European soccer match has been postponed, and a deadly shooting is being investigated as terrorism.
Yet the NFL is still preparing to send two American football teams onto the field Sunday.
For Macron, the immediate challenge is considerably bigger than keeping sporting events on schedule. France is confronting political unrest, widespread public disorder and now an attack its own president has described as a turning point in the country's history.
That's quite a selective interpretation of a terrorist attack's significance, given that he admits that Christians and Jews have been killed by attacks in the past.
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