Moroccan influencer files complaint after attack over her veil

At the age of 22, Fatima Saidi would never have imagined that one of her outings in Paris would turn violent. Late last week, a Moroccan influencer living in Madrid announced on social media that she was the victim of an attack. On Wednesday, April 17, the man allegedly spat on him.

Condemning the “racist and macho act”, the 22-year-old young woman took to her Instagram account, where she said she was shocked. “We were talking with my friend when a jogger passed by (…) and spat at me. I felt how he spat on my veil,” she blurted out. The old man allegedly made a few comments in French, then “the middle finger.” The victim says she followed him to film him.

Later, the influencer showed the documents of her complaint, which has now been filed at the Paris Center police station. “The fact that he spat on me twice, even in front of the cameras, shows that he is not afraid of anything, because he knows that it will not have any consequences for him,” continues Fatima Saidi.

The city of Paris condemns the attack

The city of Paris, for its part, expressed its support for the young woman. First Deputy (PS) Emmanuel Grégoire condemned on Friday the gesture “which represents both an attack on the Muslim religion and on women”, but also an attack on “the spirit of tolerance and openness that characterizes Paris”.

Speaking to BFM TV, the city hall’s deputy in charge of tourism and nightlife, Frédéric Hocquard (EELV), confirmed that this attack was a “completely scandalous act” and that Fatima Saidi “had the right to go and file a complaint”. Condemning the “Islamophobic” gesture, the elected official insists the city of Paris must be “exemplary in terms of inclusion” and “racism”.

Quoted by the same source, Aurélien Véron, spokesman for the opposition group and adviser in Paris, condemned the “unacceptable” attack, hence the importance for him of securing public spaces. As such, he recommended the installation of cameras and software to quickly monitor these actions, “especially on the Champ-de-Mars where there are many attacks on tourists”.