Summary:

On Sunday, 7 July 2024, a Tunisian man was stabbed to death in Paris while sitting in a bar following an altercation during which his attacker allegedly attempted to steal the man’s phone. A murder investigation was launched to identify and arrest the criminal who fled the scene on a bicycle. 

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Meanwhile, on 30 June in Bochum, in Germany, a Tunisian architectural student was attacked with acid while sitting in a cafe with his wife. Initial observations pointed to racist motivations of the attacker as the victim was on a phone call speaking in Tunisian dialect at the time of the attack and was the only non-white person in the vicinity. German police arrested the 43-year-old suspect and found flammable substances in his home. 

Outlook: 

The risk of similar attacks on Tunisians and other Arabs in Europe has been growing since the recent far-right victory in the European parliamentary elections. Physical attacks, racist graffiti on walls and verbal intimidation are common occurrences across Europe, raising fears among Arabs living, working, and traveling there. 

Also, as extreme political conservatism drives rising nationalism across Europe, similar incidents are likely to continue.  

Specifically in France, a backlash against Arabs could occur after the loss of the far-right National Rally in the French legislative elections despite coming in the first position during the first round. Skepticism toward immigrants has been a central rallying cry for European conservatives. 

These tensions will likely continue to drive division in Europe, doing little to slow irregular migration while creating fear amongst those who have legally migrated.  

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