RN spokesperson Julien Odoul calls the accusations against his party delirious and says the tragedy will not make Ali Rabeh a republican
Julien OdoulRassemblement national spokesperson and deputy for the Yonne, interviewed on Sud Radio
On Sud Radio, asked whether the RN bears any political responsibility after left-wing politicians linked it directly to the killing, Odoul calls the accusations delirious and vile and says the tragedy will not make Trappes mayor Ali Rabeh an eminent republican. He says that talking about immigration and fighting Islamism does not endanger French people because of their religion or skin color.
Responding to
Rassemblement national leaders bear direct responsibility for the gunman's decision to carry out the October 23, 2026 racist attack in Trappes and La Verrière.
“All of this is delirium. All of this is delirium and these remarks are vile, it must be said. As for the mayor of Trappes, Mr. Ali Rabeh, this tragedy is not going to make him an eminent republican. (Translated from French. Original: Tout cela est du délire. Tout cela est du délire et ces propos sont immondes, il faut bien le dire. Concernant le maire de Trappes, M. Ali Rabeh, ce n'est pas ce drame qui va faire de lui un éminent républicain.)”
Interview
Where this statement fits
Trappes mayor Ali Rabeh says Rassemblement national leaders bear responsibility for the racist attack in his town; RN officials reject the accusation
On October 23, 2026, a gunman shot at passers-by in Trappes and neighboring La Verrière, west of Paris, killing Pengo Bossio Wangi, a 26-year-old Black Frenchman, and wounding seven people, including a 12-year-old girl. France's national anti-terrorism prosecutor's office opened an investigation for murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise, with the aggravating circumstance that the victims were targeted for their real or supposed race, ethnicity, nation or religion. According to anti-terrorism prosecutor Olivier Christen, the suspect, charged on October 29, admitted specifically targeting people he took to be Muslim, African or North African and chose Trappes because he saw it as a den of Islamists. Stickers praising the Rassemblement national (RN) were found at his home; he told investigators he was not a member or supporter of any party. Trappes mayor Ali Rabeh called the shooting a racist and probably Islamophobic attack and said that speeches blaming the country's ills on Arab Muslims kill. In an open letter on October 26 he wrote that Jordan Bardella and his party had placed a target on the back of every resident of Trappes, and at a rally in the town on October 30 he said RN leaders bear direct responsibility for the attacker's act, citing Bardella's description of Trappes as an Islamic republic in miniature. RN officials rejected the accusation. Sébastien Chenu, president of the RN group in the National Assembly, stood by Bardella's words and called Trappes a hotbed of jihadists; spokesperson Julien Odoul called the accusations delirious; and deputy Laure Lavalette said the RN is totally innocent of the tragedy. On November 10 Bardella said left-wing and far-left leaders, naming the mayor of Trappes and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, were putting fatwas and targets on the backs of political figures.
Source and context
Interview
About this source
Sud Radio's transcript of its October 26, 2026 morning interview with Julien Odoul, Rassemblement national spokesperson and deputy for the Yonne, about the Trappes attack, the RN congress and La France insoumise.
Before the quotation
Asked whether the shooting is a racist crime, Odoul says it obviously is and is above all a tragedy for the victims' families, then denounces what he calls the nauseating exploitation of the attack by irresponsible left-wing figures. The interviewer then asks whether the RN bears any political responsibility, since the left had linked the party directly to the killing.
After the quotation
Odoul adds that talking about immigration, a subject he says concerns the French, or wanting to fight Islamism does not put compatriots in danger because of their religion or skin color, and he accuses the RN's opponents of having no arguments.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the public rhetoric of Rassemblement national leaders and other far-right politicians about Trappes, Muslims and immigrants, which Trappes mayor Ali Rabeh holds responsible for the October 23, 2026 racist attack in Trappes and La Verrière. Odoul calls the accusation that his party bears responsibility for the attack delirious, which denies it, and says talking about immigration endangers no one.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Ali Rabeh
More from this case
Read the full caseRN spokesperson Andréa Kotarac says Marine Tondelier shames herself by blaming the RN for the Trappes attack and announces legal action
“By directly accusing @RNational_off of the racist attack in #Trappes, Ms. Tondelier is covering herself in shame. I am informing you that we are bringing legal proceedings against this person and her fake news. (Translated from French. Original: En accusant directement le @RNational_off de l'attentat raciste de #Trappes, Madame Tondelier se couvre de honte. Je vous informe que nous engageons une procédure judiciaire contre cette personne et ses fakenews.)”Read statement
Marine Tondelier says the RN should explain itself rather than sue her over her remarks on the Trappes attack
“It is up to the Rassemblement national to explain itself rather than to take me to court ... They must draw the consequences (Translated from French. Original: C'est au Rassemblement national de s'expliquer plutôt que de m'attaquer en justice ... Il faut qu'ils en tirent les conséquences)”Read statement
Ali Rabeh says words always come before acts and that RN rhetoric about Trappes has not stopped since the attack
“Words always come before acts ... We cannot let our public debate be rotted by extremely violent words (Translated from French. Original: Les mots précèdent toujours les actes ... Nous ne pouvons pas laisser notre débat public pourri par des mots extrêmement violents)”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "RN spokesperson Julien Odoul calls the accusations against his party delirious and says the tragedy will not make Ali Rabeh a republican". First published: 2026-11-13. Last updated: 2026-11-13. https://disputeindex.com/events/8792-on-sud-radio-asked-whether-the-rn-bears