The murder and rape of 12-year-old French girl Lola in October by an Algerian illegal migrant has shaken France and sparked a number of memorials and marches, as well as demonstrations against French President Emmanuel Macron’s pro-immigration policies. Now, the parents of the young victim have announced they plan to march in a demonstration in her honor, which will take place in the 19th arrondissement of Paris.
The exact date and venue should be provided by the end of this week, according to French news outlet BFMTV.
The body of the 12-year-old girl was found in a suitcase in Paris’ 19th arrondissement right near the building where she lived with her mother. A 24-year-old Algerian woman, known as Dhabia B., was arrested for the crime and told police she had been involved in past disputes with Lola’s mother. The young victim was reportedly sexually assaulted and tortured before her throat was slashed.
Right-wing groups and conservatives have already held a number of marches in Lola’s honor over the past month; in some cases, memorials put up for the young victim have already been torn down by vigilantes.
Following the murder, it was revealed that the Algerian migrant was subject to a deportation order, but she was never sent home. Despite Macron promising a 100 percent deportation rate, less than 6 percent of deportations have taken place. However, for Algerians like Dhabia B., that rate is only 0.2 percent.
National Rally leader Marine Le Pen lambasted Macron’s government following the murder, saying in the National Assembly, “What are you waiting for to finally stop this out-of-control illegal immigration?”
“Madame Prime Minister, on Friday, time stopped for a moment for every one of us. France was frozen by stupor, sadness, and horror upon learning of the torment of little Lola. The young girl that people took away in broad daylight, in the middle of Paris, in the worst possible way. The compassion of the country regarding her family makes everyone aware that it could be our family. This is profound.
“Once again, the suspect of this barbarous attack should not have been on our territory, and this was the case for more than three years. One time too many. And you will not be able to avoid the topic as you do in all circumstances and which the minister of justice has just done by shouting about recuperation and attacking with this hackneyed argument those who are outraged.
Too many crimes and offenses are committed by illegal immigrants that you did not want or failed to send back to their country of origin.”
Macron has said that the murder was an act of “evil” and his government has put together what it says are a number of initiatives that will speed up deportations. But critics say that the Macron government made similar claims following the beheading of history teacher Samuel Paty by a young Chechen Islamist, and since then, deportations have only fallen. Approximately 600,000 to 700,000 people are living in France illegally, and these foreigners have been greatly tied to France’s growing crime problem. Macron himself has admitted that half of all crimes in Paris are committed by foreigners, a claim supported by government statistics.
A trial for the murder of Lola is still expected to take place. Dhabia B. has been indicted for “murder and rape with an act of torture and barbarism on a minor under 15 years old” and imprisoned in Fresnes Prison, in Val-de-Marne. A 43-year-old man has also been charged in this case and placed under judicial supervision.
Lola’s funeral took place on Oct. 24 in Lillers, Pas-de-Calais, where her mother is from. Several hundred people attended the funeral as the victim was laid to rest.
