A Socialist. What do you bet that Stéphane Raffali believes that Islam is a religion of peace, that “Islamophobia” is the real problem, and that “refugees” are not dangerous, but in danger, and that only “racists” oppose mass Muslim migration into France?
Yet his flirting with violation of Sharia blasphemy laws by lionizing a man who was beheaded for a Muhammad cartoon got him death threats anyway.
And Facebook refused to take down the threats, saying they didn’t violate their community standards. Facebook is increasingly evil, and increasingly open about it. Imagine if a Muslim leader had received death threats; do you think Facebook would say that those threats violated their community standards? So do I. And not only would they take them down in a hot minute; the threats would also be the occasion for screaming international headlines and searching feature pieces about the increase of “Islamophobia.” But this? Nothing.
“Essonne: the mayor of Ris-Orangis threatened with death after the tribute to Samuel Paty,” translated from “Essonne: le maire de Ris-Orangis menacé de mort après l’hommage à Samuel Paty,” by Pauline Darvey and Bartolomé Simon, Le Parisien, November 11, 2020 (thanks to Mason):
“O hateful Frenchman, you insult our prophet Muhammad, then we will tear off your impure necks…” Last Monday, barely a few hours after tribute was paid to Samuel Paty in schools, Stéphane Raffali, the socialist mayor of Ris-Orangis, discovered this threatening message posted several times and from different accounts on his Facebook page. All are accompanied by the same drawing: a man from behind, who is holding a dagger in one of his hands.
“The same morning, we went with four elected officials to the Albert-Camus school to participate in the minute of silence in tribute to this history-geography professor who was killed in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine (Yvelines),” recalls the elected official. “We then posted a little note on my Facebook page with some photos.”
“These are calls for murder”
About an hour later, four or five comments, all identical, are posted below this post. Very quickly, the mayor’s team took screenshots of these messages, before blurring the content. “They are extremely violent,” comments the city councilor. These are calls for murder. ”
The City is also reporting these comments to Facebook. The social network’s response follows suit: “We have reviewed the comment you brought to our attention and have determined that it did not go against our community standards. We will therefore not delete this comment. ”
“The inertia of Facebook is distressing,” plague Stéphane Raffalli, who filed a complaint against X on Friday. “An investigation for threats of crimes and misdemeanors on a person holding public authority has been entrusted to the Evry police station,” confirms the Evry-Courcouronnes prosecutor’s office. No action has yet been taken to protect the elected official.
“Other authorities concerned”
To spread these threats, the perpetrator probably hacked into Facebook accounts. “The holders of at least two of them contacted us very quickly to tell us that they had nothing to do with these messages,” explains Stéphane Raffalli, who denounces facts of extreme gravity.
“Especially in the current context,” he adds. It also seems important to me to make them public. All bodies that are legitimate to deal with this type of case must be seized. Next week, during the city council, the mayor will request functional protection to allow him to benefit from legal assistance.
According to a source close to the investigation, “other authorities” in Essonne have received similar threatening messages on Facebook since the attack on Samuel Paty. “This attack stirred several accounts responsible for threats”, adds this source.
200 investigations opened
The same day that Stéphane Raffalli received the threats, a teacher and counselor of the Communist opposition from Bezons, in the Val-d’Oise, also received an identical message, commenting on a Facebook post where she expressed her “questions and misunderstandings” linked to the health crisis, and her shock of the death of Samuel Paty.
Since the beheading of this professor, these facts are on the rise. At the national level, nearly 200 investigations were opened during the last week of October for making excuses for terrorism, death threats, insults or incitement to hatred in connection with this assassination.