After being accused of stabbing two women wearing Muslim headscarves just near the Eifel Tower in Paris, two French women were charged with racist slurs and assault according to legal sources, Thursday.
In a report by AFP via MSN, it was noted that the women also tried to rip off the veils and scarves of the victims while yelling racist slurs to them.
The incident comes as the racial tensions in France continue to heighten. This is after a French teacher who showed cartoons of the Muslim prophet Mohammed to his pupils was killed in a jihadist killing.
According to the reports, the women who allegedly assaulted the other two women were drunk when they ran into the group of Muslim children and Women. The incident happened just at the foot of the Eiffel Tower in Champ de Mars park.
The altercation started after the Muslim family complained about the women's dog and stated that they felt threatened by it. The complaint was not taken nicely by the women; thus, it resulted in a confrontation.
One of the women with the dog took out a knife and stabbed two of the veiled women who were said to be aged 19 and 40.
The 40-year-old victim received six stab wounds and is currently being treated for a perforated lung in a hospital. Meanwhile, the other victim, who was 19 years old, sustained three stabs but was already discharged after being treated in a hospital.
The victims also stated that their attackers muttered racist slurs towards them during the attack. According to them, the perpetrators called them "dirty Arabs" and told them that France is not their home.
The attack drew social media outrage, and some people even called out the French media for remaining quiet about the attack that many claimed was clearly "anti-Muslim."
Read also: French Teacher Gets Beheaded for Cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad in Class
According to Yahoo! News, the main suspect has already been taken into preventive custody, while her friend has already been released on bail.
Both women were charged with assault aggravated by using a weapon, alcohol intoxication, and racial insults late Wednesday night.
However, Arie Alimi, the victims' lawyer, asked for stiffer charges and accused the attackers of attempted murder motivated by race.
He further supported his claim by stating that one of the attackers specifically took offense with the headscarves worn by the women in the family amid the attack. He said that she even referred to it as "that thing you have on your head."
He also added that the suspects tried to remove the veils from the heads of the victims and aimed their blows to the heads as well.
The two suspects, however, denied making racial insults.
According to Al Jazeera, the attackers' lawyer, Bernard Solitude, warned against the incident being sensationalized as a racist attack. He also added that people should stick to the facts and not make assumptions.
Meanwhile, Alimi has accused the French authorities of a "witch hunt" against Muslims following a teacher's beheading by a Chechen radical 18-year-old.
Related article: France Shuts Down Mosque After Death of a Teacher Who Showed Caricatures of Prophet Muhammad
