A cemetery was vandalised. On the night of the 10th to 11th March 2024, the cemetery of Clermont-d’Excideuil (Dordogne) was smeared with tags, according to a statement from the SOS Calvaires association. No fewer than 58 graves were smeared with tags, including the memorial to the fallen of the First World War and the door of the village church. The inscriptions are all related to Islam. “Submit to Allah” is written on one of the graves, but also: “Ramadan”, “Allah”, “Dog”, “Gwers” or “The Muslim bear awakens”.
SOS Calvaires “expresses its full support for the municipal authorities of Clermont-d’Excideuil and the people whose family graves have been desecrated, as well as for the Périgueux gendarmerie, which is in charge of the investigation”, states the organisation, which restores crosses throughout France. “There is no stronger symbol than the attack on the resting places of our elders, on those who fought for France to be free and on the crosses that characterise the landscapes of our country,” said Alexandre Caillé, Director General of the SOS Calvaires association. The association has been given authorisation by the city council and will be working from Saturday to restore the cemetery with the help of a team of volunteers present in the region.
