Racist attack in Yvelines leaves one dead and multiple wounded

A terrorist attack unfolded on Friday, October 23 in the towns of Trappes and La Verrière in the Yvelines department. The attack resulted in one death and five wounded, including a young girl. The Paris Football League decided to postpone football matches in the areas affected by the shootings.

Pengo Bossio Wangi, an MMA fighter, was killed during the attack. The wounded girl received eight gunshot wounds according to available information. The family of Pengo Bossio Wangi, through his lawyer Me Yassine Bouzrou, is demanding that authorities establish precisely under what circumstances this individual had been subject to no preventive reporting.

Solidarity movements mobilized around the victims. Atch Academy, the MMA club in Aubervilliers where Pengo Bossio Wangi trained, launched a fundraiser to help his family cover funeral costs. A separate fundraiser was also opened to support the wounded girl, raising nearly 56,000 euros.

On Sunday, October 25, a white march was organized in Aubervilliers in memory of Pengo Bossio Wangi. On Monday, October 26, nearly 500 people gathered in Besançon to pay tribute to the victims and denounce the context of the attack. Opposition municipal representatives took the initiative for this gathering.

Anxiety permeated the town of Trappes following the attack. Some residents reduced their movements, while others now fear being targeted because of their origins. Security camera footage shows the attacker's route, including extracts from a petrol station camera.

Political and cultural voices spoke out. The La France insoumise presidential candidate called for not looking away and not forgiving during a demonstration against racism and Islamophobia in La Courneuve. Audrey Pulvar, deputy mayor of Paris, deplored the delay in addressing racism on television and signed an op-ed calling for refusing silence and indifference, joined by around a hundred public figures.