HIBAPRESS – France/Strasbourg
Mohamed Silla, the head of the "Outiles 67" list in Strasbourg, was subjected to racist comments on social media after announcing his candidacy for the municipal elections at the beginning of December.
Silla confirmed that these comments exceeded the boundaries of respect, as some tried to link him to his origins and asked him to return to Africa, pointing out that his personal position shocked him because he did not expect it in his city, which he described as "open and European-solidarity." Despite these attacks, Silla decided not to withdraw from the election race, stressing that engagement in political work must be available to all citizens regardless of skin color, sexual orientation, or gender. He said: "The matter is not about me personally, but about the right to political engagement, and the real discussion should be about ideas and projects." So far, Silla has not filed any formal complaints, preferring to focus on his election campaign and discuss programs for the development of the city. This incident comes after another moderate candidate, "Pierre Yakubovich", was subjected to anti-Semitic and homophobic comments in Strasbourg last October.
