The famous author came out harshly against Muslims - now he is in the interrogation room

The prosecution in Nanterre has opened an investigation against French author Michel Houellebecq following comments he made in a 2022 interview, in which he described Muslims as a threat to France's security. The Union of Mosques filed a complaint, and his lawyers reject any claim of a criminal offense.

The prosecution in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris, has opened an investigation against the renowned French author Michel Houellebecq following comments he made in a 2022 interview with the magazine 'Front Populaire'. In the interview, Houellebecq described Muslims as a threat to France's security and said that the local French population does not want Muslims to integrate into society, but rather to stop stealing and attacking. The Union of Mosques of France filed a complaint in early 2023. Houellebecq has since expressed some regret and called his remarks 'clumsy', but his lawyers firmly reject any claim of a criminal offense. The current investigation resurfaces during a tense period in France, against the backdrop of a deadly shooting incident in Trappes. The Union of Mosques welcomed the investigation and emphasized that rhetoric of this kind paves the way for violence.