Islamophobia in France has been growing in strength for many years, but recent weeks have seen a dangerous acceleration.

signed an article in Le Monde in support of Blanquer, and denouncing Muslim students who wear a hijab.

What is the role of the caricatures of Mohammed?

A series of caricatures was initially published by a Danish right-wing newspaper. To these, French magazine Charlie Hebdo added more insulting examples, before the horrible attack in 2015 by terrorists who murdered 12 of the magazine’s staff (and Jewish shoppers in a Kosher supermarket the same day).

The caricatures are racist for at least two reasons. Firstly, they include such cartoons as Mohammed with a bomb in his turban, with the fuse lit. This drawing is supposed 1) to say that what is typical of Muslims is to be terrorists, and 2) to get people to laugh at the fact that his Muslim head is about to explode.

The other Charlie Hebdo caricatures ‒ like one of Mohammed naked with his genitals showing – propose a different sort of “satisfaction” to the reader, based on the fact that readers know that Muslims do not think the prophet should be depicted in drawings, much less depicted naked and ridiculous. The only way you could find this cartoon funny is if you think that offending Muslims is fun in itself ‒ that is, if you are a racist.

In the present crisis, the cartoons have played a pivotal role. As part of his civics class every year, Paty showed some of the racist cartoons, having warned pupils and allowed them to leave the room for a moment if they wished.

Not understanding that these caricatures are racist is very common indeed on right and left in France, and explaining about the caricatures is part of the school curriculum, so showing them in class as illustrations does not mean that this was a racist teacher.

This year, some parents complained, and the school inspectorate organised a discussion meeting of some sort. Naturally, no one imagined all this would come to the ears of a teenage fanatic who lived 80 kilometres away and was ready to kill and die for this.

After Paty’s murder, those who wanted to push “clash of civilisations” nonsense decided to make the caricatures the centre of the protest against terrorism. In some big cities like Toulouse and Montpellier, the caricatures were projected onto the front of the town hall, while more than one regional government has announced that booklets of caricatures including these will be distributed to all high school students.

It is not uncommon to hear individual teachers, even on the left, demand that showing the caricatures be compulsory in all schools as a protest against Paty’s murder.

This is often the work of loud minorities ‒ at the mass rally in Paris called by teaching unions, there were only a dozen Charlie Hebdo placards in a crowd of tens of thousands, and in online forums, Islamophobic teachers complain that “almost all” their students think it is good not to mock people’s religious beliefs, because respect is important.

What about the far right and the fascists?

In Avignon, recently a member of a small neo-Nazi group threatened a North African shopkeeper, and then the police, and was shot dead. The danger of far-right terrorism is real.

As for Le Pen and her “respectable fascists”, they have had a bad couple of years. The Yellow Vest revolt which mobilised poor workers and small business people could have moved towards far-right ideas, but did not, thanks to the work of left activists. The mass strikes against government destruction of the retirement pensions system last year were very popular indeed, but Le Pen could not support them because of her strong small employer base.

At last, with the campaign against Muslims, Le Pen has a terrain where she feels at home. She has been calling this week for a freeze on all immigration, and on all procedures through which immigrants gain French citizenship. She is demanding “wartime legislation” and declaring “Nobody should be afraid of being called an Islamophobe”. She and her fellow fascists are invited every week to prime-time talk shows to spread their poison.

Who is fighting back against all this?

The situation is contradictory. Several left groups and trade union federations are much better on Islamophobia than they were ten years back (this is not difficult). Nevertheless, protest remains symbolic.

Press releases from the left declare “Muslims must not be blamed for terrorism, singled out or marginalised”. But no major left group is saying “Defend the CCIF!” and protesting alongside Muslim groups to stop them being banned, let alone organising a broad protest alliance. Smaller antiracist networks are doing what they can.

The hypocrisy of the Macron government ‒ which sells arms to dictatorships all over the world, uses French troops to defend French interests while wreaking death and destruction, and gives crucial political support to Israel, while claiming to be a beacon of light leading the fight against political violence in the world ‒ must be denounced.

But practical solidarity to Muslim organisations under threat is also essential. Organisations in other countries should certainly send messages of solidarity.

[John Mullen is a revolutionary socialist and supporter of France Insoumise living in the Paris region.]