During the night of March 11, acts of vandalism were committed in the cemetery of the village Clermont-d'Excideuil. Inscriptions with Islamic references were found on graves, the war memorial, the church door, a calvary memorial, and a fountain. Some of the tags read "France is already Allah's", "Isa will break the cross" and "Submit to Islam". Altogether, more than 50 graves were smeared.
On two tombs the letters 'GWER' were written with a paint spray. The term 'gwer' refers to a white person, a Westerner, or a non-Muslim. Another grave was marked with the term 'Kouffar', which designates disbelievers. The desecration occured on the eve of Ramadan.
The Périgueux prosecutor's office has opened an investigation for "aggravated degradation".
The Excideuil sector, located in the northeast of the Dordogne, has witnessed similar events. Since the end of December, several similar graffiti with references to Islam have been found in Cherveix-Cubas and Saint-Pantaly-d'Excideuil.
The mayor of Clermont d'Excideuil expressed his concerns about the incident: "It's weird in a small town like that. I thought it only happened elsewhere..." The community is shocked about the desacration. A local resident commented: "I just discovered these tags and it makes me cold in the back... When I read this, it freezes me. It's a trauma for the municipality."