Two French women charged over ‘racist’ stabbing of Muslim women

PARIS: Two women accused of stabbing two other women wearing Muslim headscarves near the Eiffel Tower in Paris and trying to rip off their veils have been charged with assault and racist slurs, legal sources told AFP on Thursday.

The women accused over the assault were drunk when they came across a group of Muslim women and children in the Champ de Mars park at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. The Muslim family complained about the other women’s dog, saying they felt threatened by it.

In the ensuing row one of the women with the dog pulled a knife and stabbed two of the veiled women, aged 19 and 40. The 40-year-old woman sustained six stab wounds and is being treated in hospital for a perforated lung.

The younger victim was stabbed three times and was also treated in hospital but has since been discharged. Both victims claimed their attackers called them "dirty Arabs" and told them: "This is not your home."

The incident caused a furore on social media with some people accusing the French media of remaining silent about an attack they saw as clearly anti-Muslim. The main suspect has been placed in preventive custody while her friend has been released on bail, sources close to the investigation said.