A municipal police officer in France was suspended after allegedly being a member of a racist Telegram group, local media reported Wednesday. According to the French Daily Liberation, a municipal police officer in the Parisian region was a member of the FRDETER group on messaging app Telegram, where assaults and acts of violence against Muslims, North African and Black people were discussed. The information contradicts Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin’s remarks, who on Tuesday said no national police officer was involved in the group. While Darmanin mentioned the national police, he avoided mentioning the municipal police or the gendarmerie branch. A Twitter account that unveiled the information shared screen captures of suspected profiles, including individuals wearing uniforms – at least one of them wearing the gendarmerie uniform with a visible identity number. In the messages that Anadolu correspondents accessed, some members of the group openly took pride in being military or police members. Lawyer Nabil Boudi said a joint complaint is underway. The messages showed that members had racist discussions, including assassinating left-wing politicians, French Muslim figures, and imams. The members of the Telegram group also called on assassinating illegal immigrants and raping women wearing hijab. A terrorist attack against a mosque in the northern city of Lille, at a fixed date, was also part of the group’s plans.
Source: Anadolu Agency – English