Wednesday, April 30, a member of the staff of the new civilian hospital in Strasbourg made racist remarks with regard to the family of three girls who died in a fire. An administrative investigation was opened and the mayor of Strasbourg expressed his “anger”.
Company
From daily life to major challenges, discover the subjects that make local society, such as justice, education, health and family.
France Télévisions uses your email address to send you the “Company” newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time via the link at the bottom of this newsletter. Our Privacy Policy
“Is there a mosque here or what?” This sentence, pronounced by a member of the staff of the new civilian hospital in Strasbourg while the family of three girls who died in a fire, including several veiled women, was circulated, has been recorded in video and widely broadcast on social networks since Wednesday, April 30. Since then, the controversy has swelled in particular after a Strasbourg news article, the hospital has opened an administrative inquiry and the mayor of Strasbourg reacted this Friday, May 2.
“I learned with dismay and anger of a video in which words of an Islamophobic, racist and xenophobic nature were made, while the family went to the mortuary chamber of the university hospital “wrote Jeanne Barseghian in a Facebook publication.
The councilor, also president of the supervisory board of university hospitals, recognizes later that these words are “unworthy of the public service “ And assures that it will be “particularly vigilant that the necessary, both internal and judicial, are fully assumed“.
The case was widely relayed in the Turkish media, which a lot covered Brumath’s tragic fire. According to the latest news from Alsace, Turkish television was even present this Thursday 1is May at the first funeral vigil organized at the mosque in tribute to the three deceased children.
“It was not humor. No irony. It was a provocation. A clear attack addressed to mourning people because of their religion“, wrote on Facebook Eyup Sahin, president of the Turkish Islamic movement Millî Görüs, adding that the author of the video was “A loved one (who) wanted to film the way to help others find their way.”
Still on Facebook, Osman Tutan, who presents himself as the grandfather of the dead girls in the fire, took care to specify that the reception of the hospital staff had been very correct apart from this incident. “”All the doctors cried with us. They helped us, they welcomed us. The civil hospital, as well as the whole medical hierarchy, was present to support us in this ordeal, except a person who said things …”
In a press release of May 1, 2025, the management of the Strasbourg university hospitals firmly condemns the facts, “It is with great sadness and deep dismay that we have read a recently posted video, in which unacceptable remarks were pronounced. The HUS management firmly condemns these words and wants to express their most sincere apologies to the family concerned as well as to all the people who have been injured by these words.“
An internal administrative investigation at the hospital was opened to determine the exact circumstances of these facts. The management of the Strasbourg University Hospitals also carried out a report with the Public Prosecutor.
This controversy is barely a few days after the drama that rocked Brumath and all of Alsace. Two girls, aged 10 and 12, died on Saturday April 26 during their transfer to the hospital after the fire in their house in the Grafenbourg district. The third 6 -year -old girl died on Monday when she was in the hospital’s resuscitation service from the tragedy.
An online kitty was launched to support relatives of the bereaved family, and now a victim of racism.
