French prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation after a live discussion group on the social media platform X allegedly featured racist remarks and calls to kill Muslims, with authorities examining suspected offences including incitement to hatred, violence and terrorist acts.

The Paris Public Prosecutor's Office said it had referred the case to the criminal police after becoming aware of messages shared in an X live discussion space targeting Muslims and people of immigrant origin. The investigation was launched on suspicion of public incitement to hatred or violence based on a person's origin or religion, direct online incitement to commit a terrorist act, and other offences related to public calls to commit violent crimes.

Racist messages targeted Muslims

According to French media reports citing AFP, participants in the discussion group used racist language and made statements including, "This is not the country of Arabs," "We should take advantage of street prayers because they're all gathered together," and "We're going to have to kill a lot of people." Investigators are examining whether the messages constituted criminal incitement to hatred and violence against Muslims.

Lawmaker raised alarm

La France Insoumise (LFI) lawmaker Thomas Portes published excerpts from the discussion on X on 25 October, describing the content as calls for murder, racist rhetoric and incitement to racial hatred.

Portes announced that he would refer the matter to the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office. Prosecutors later confirmed that, independently of the lawmaker's complaint, they had already decided to investigate the messages and assigned the case to the criminal police.

Probe comes after racist attack

The investigation comes just days after a racist terrorist attack in Yvelines, west of Paris, in which one person was killed and several others injured.

French President Emmanuel Macron described that shooting as a racist terrorist attack, while France's National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office opened a separate terrorism investigation into the incident.

The latest investigation has renewed concerns over the spread of online hate speech and anti-Muslim incitement in France, with prosecutors seeking to determine whether those responsible for the messages committed offences punishable under French criminal law.(ILKHA)