A rap song referencing jihadists involved in deadly attacks in France has emerged during student protests at a French high school and a church. The track, “MRH” by rapper BORO700, references Mohamed Merah, who killed a teacher and three children at a Jewish school in Toulouse in 2012, and Salah Abdeslam, convicted for his role in the November 2015 Paris attacks. The Bataclan concert hall, where 90 people died, is also mentioned.
Student Protests and School Blockades
A video on social media shows students singing the track at François-Villon high school in Beaugency, Loiret region, during a school blockade on October 1. They were heard shouting translations of French lyrics: “Like Mohamed Merah, dodging the cameras,” and “Bataclan, I shot him with my eyes, manhunt, Salah Abdeslam.”
The Orléans prosecutor’s office initiated a preliminary investigation into “apology for terrorism” on October 7, with three minors in police custody. This term refers to justifying or portraying terrorism positively, possibly constituting a criminal offense. The investigation focuses on the song’s lyrics, not the students’ intentions.
Incident at Saint-Hilaire Church
The song also appears in a video filmed on October 4 inside Saint-Hilaire church in Soullans, Western France, separate from school protests. The municipality stated the participants were minors, urging residents not to share the footage to avoid further tensions. Mayor Vincent Jolly emphasized an “educational, thoughtful, and proportionate” response and advised against associating the local incident with broader terrorism or national concerns. The La Roche-sur-Yon prosecutor’s office is investigating.
Rapper BORO700’s Legal Issues
BORO700 is set to appear in a Paris court on October 21 on charges including apology for terrorism, a crime against humanity, and conditional death threats, as reported by Le Parisien. These charges are separate from the investigations involving videos featuring young people.
The Historical References in “MRH”
The song’s references have drawn significant public attention. Between March 11 and 19, 2012, Mohamed Merah, a French citizen of Algerian descent, executed jihadi attacks in Toulouse and Montauban, killing seven people, including two soldiers, a rabbi, and three Jewish children aged 3, 5, and 8. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy stated, “The Islamic faith has nothing to do with the insane motivations of this man.” Merah used a GoPro camera to capture his attacks, creating footage with music and Qur’an verses.
Salah Abdeslam was the only surviving member of the ISIS cell responsible for the November 2015 Paris attacks, killing 130 and injuring over 490, with the deadliest event at the Bataclan. The song’s lyrics include a bounty in hell threat and a reference to “pull an Adolf Hitler” on another rapper, although precise translation is challenging. References to Merah, Abdeslam, and the Bataclan are clear.
Wider Grievances Behind the Protests
The videos surfaced during widespread high school protests in France since September 28, closing hundreds of schools. Students protested issues like school funding, teacher shortages, staff inadequacies, and building disrepair. Protests involved setting trash cans ablaze, barricades, assaulting teachers, and police clashes.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu accused the leftist La France Insoumise (LFI) party of sowing chaos before the presidential elections. The videos do not prove the broader protest movement shares the song’s views, but they have become part of a charged political debate.
International Responses and Political Debates
Amid this context, former U.S. President Donald Trump commented on the protests on Truth Social, linking them to mass migration and claiming, “This isn’t about schools; this is about Islam wanting to take over a once great country!” He did not provide evidence for this claim, echoing past criticisms of Europe’s immigration policies.
France’s government rejected external interpretations of the protests. Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that diplomatic missions were working to communicate France’s own narratives, rather than those from other countries.