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Trappes mayor urges state protection, not communal self-defense, after attack

Ali Rabeh says residents' fear must be answered with stronger protection against far-right violence and a renewed commitment to shared citizenship.

Channel: BFMTV ·

FranceStory of October 28, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of BFMTV's most watched videos since yesterday, with 28,723 views.

BFMTV: The French 24-hour news channel, on air since 2005, owned by the Saadé family's CMA CGM group. 2.7M subscribers and 2B views.

"Un traumatisme collectif': le maire de Trappes s'exprime après l'attentat raciste

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

1:44Sofia recounts being targeted by an armed shooter at a gas station.
4:04Rabeh describes collective trauma and fear spreading beyond the people directly attacked.
6:05He urges national unity and calls on influential public voices to challenge racist rhetoric.
11:03He argues that municipalities refusing social-housing obligations undermine social integration.
16:04He calls for adequate counterterrorism resources to monitor the violent far right.
20:00He rejects communal self-protection as an alternative to trusting the state to keep residents safe.

Some Muslims in Trappes are questioning whether the state can protect them and considering organizing their own security, Mayor Ali Rabeh says. He rejects that prospect, arguing that residents must be able to trust public institutions rather than retreat into separate communities for protection.

Speaking to Apolline de Malherbe on France's BFMTV news channel, Rabeh describes a collective trauma following the shootings in Trappes and neighboring La Verrière, west of Paris. The interview moves from survivors' accounts to his appeal for national unity and better-resourced counterterrorism services.

A woman identified as Sofia recounts being targeted by an armed shooter at a gas station. Rabeh describes other residents' experiences and says the weapon jammed repeatedly. He also pays tribute to the young man killed in the attack. In related reporting, the broadcaster cites anti-terrorism prosecutors describing shootings at eight locations and four people seriously wounded.

For Rabeh, a member of the left-wing Génération.s party, the consequences extend beyond those directly attacked. He describes residents living with fear and the difficulty of finding words to address them. Near the interview's end, he says he too has become more watchful of crowds during public appearances and has previously received police protection.

His political argument is that influential voices, including politicians, commentators and the media, have a responsibility to challenge racist rhetoric. He calls for republican concord: treating France as one people rather than setting parts of the country against one another.

De Malherbe presses him on his criticism of political rhetoric and the debate over the far-right "great replacement" theory. Rabeh says his purpose is to draw lessons rather than settle scores. The discussion also turns to social integration and his accusation that some municipalities refuse to meet social-housing obligations.

He calls for adequate resources to monitor the violent far right. His closing concern is maintaining confidence in justice and overcoming fear without giving in to despair.

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