Outcry after researcher says prominent French mayor 'appears Muslim'

Israeli-Gaza conflict is hugely sensitive topic in France, home to Europe's largest Muslim and Jewish communities

Karim Bouamrane, socialist mayor of Saint-Ouen in Paris, rejects suggestion that his appearance is a factor in his politics. AFP

Senior French officials have rallied behind Karim Bouamrane, a prominent mayor of Moroccan origin, in response to remarks widely viewed as racist by a researcher who said he is “Muslim in appearance” and suggested his popularity comes from his refusal to comment on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

This highlights deep divisions within France's left-wing parties, with some seeking to capitalise on the Gaza war to boost support among Muslim voters while others, including the socialist mayor, Mr Bouamrane, have adopted a more cautious stance.

The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is an explosive topic in France, which hosts the biggest Muslim and Jewish populations in Europe. The October 7 Hamas attacks against Israel and the ensuing Israeli military offensive against Gaza, and more recently Lebanon, have caused an increase in racist attacks.

This became evident when Pascal Boniface, director of the international and strategic relations (IRIS) think tank, wrote on X that Mr Bouamrane had become a popular figure because he refused to criticise Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mr Bouamrane, the mayor of the Paris suburb of Saint-Ouen, was one of several figures who was offered this summer the job of Prime Minister after snap elections but turned it down.

Mr Boniface said: “Honestly I wonder about this man whom I don't know personally. Is he an example of meritocracy? Well done! Or is he being used like a Muslim in appearance who doesn't criticise Netanyahu and therefore benefits from a big media promotion. I'm waiting to see.”

Mr Bouamrane responded by saying it was important to fight against stereotypes. “Muslim in appearance … this is how a researcher describes me and definitively disqualifies himself. The fight against essentialisation continues!”

Mr Boniface left the Socialist party in 2001 after the leak of one of his notes on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

“Assigning an identity goes against our Republican pact,” said Minister delegate for European affairs Benjamin Haddad, a member of President Macron's political party, Renaissance.

Deputy mayor of Paris, Lamia el Aaraje, also a socialist politician of Moroccan origin, accused Mr Bouamrane's critics of “denying [him] the right to exist or think independently outside of the religious assignation in which they dream of locking us in”.