46% Think the Paris Shooting Had Pure Racist Motives

Xenophobia is the fear or hatred of people from other countries or cultures. Xenophobic hate can manifest in various ways, including discriminatory policies, hate speech, and violence against individuals or groups perceived as “foreign.”

Throughout history, there have been records of xenophobic and racist-motivated violence. One such recent example is the xenophobic shooting targeted at a Kurdish group in Paris. The French man suspected of killing three people outside a Kurdish community center in Paris has told investigators that he had a “pathological” hatred of foreigners and wanted “to murder migrants.”

It’s important to note that this kind of act of violence is not only tragic but also a reminder of the deep-seated prejudices and hate that still exist in our society.

A survey launched by Real Research, an online survey app, attempted to gather opinions about the recent incident through a survey on the Paris xenophobic shooting.

Here are the key findings of the report:

• 63.78% are aware of the Paris xenophobic shooting and the confession made by the suspect
• 46.8% find the suspect’s claims totally acceptable as grounds for his actions
• 51.37% find it very important for the French army to bolster security in Kurdish communities

Behind Paris Xenophobic Shooting

The survey report reveals that 63.78% of survey respondents are aware of both the Paris xenophobic shooting incident and the confession made by the suspect. Meanwhile, 25.57% are only aware of the Paris shooting but not of the suspect’s confession, and the rest (10.66) are unaware of the Paris xenophobic shooting.

The suspect told police he had become “depressed” and “suicidal” since a burglary occurred at his home in 2016 and admitted that since then, his hatred of foreigners had become “totally pathological.”

Accordingly, most respondents (46.8%) find the suspect’s claims totally acceptable as grounds for his actions. For 24.89%, the suspect’s claims are somewhat acceptable, while others (22.83%) find the claims unacceptable.

The Motive for the Paris Shooting

Turkey’s government has been battling against Kurdish independence movements. Regarding the attack on the Kurdish community in Paris, many Kurds viewed the shooting not as racially motivated but as a terrorist attack targeting them and carried out with Turkey’s help.

The majority of survey respondents (46.62%), however, think that what exactly happened was a Paris xenophobic shooting with pure racist motives. 29.13% think it had terrorist motives. Only 12.34% believe the shooting was a political attack by Turkey’s government.

Also Read: 57% Say Gun Laws in US Are the Cause of Mass Shootings

The Future of France

The weekend after the Paris xenophobic shooting, thousands took to the streets across France in protests to complain about a lack of safety and claim that the French security services did too little to prevent the shooting.

On that account, more than half (51.37%) of the survey respondents find it very important for the French army to bolster security in Kurdish communities across the country. 27.01% find it moderately important, and 11.42% say it is slightly important.

Lone assailants often carried out the most deadly shootings and stabbings in France after large-scale Islamist terrorist attacks in 2015 and 2016.

Regarding the recent shooting, the survey report shows that 31.43% think France will continue to suffer from xenophobic attacks. 30.26% believe it is somewhat likely, while 9.9% think it would be unlikely to happen again.