When the body of Lola Daviet was recovered by the Paris police on Friday, a political issue about immigration unravelled, although the murder motive is still unclear.
The French authorities arrested Dahbia B, a 24-year-old woman, on the suspicion of killing Lola, whose body was found covered in wounds and bruises outside her home, in a plastic suitcase.
The suspect has been charged with the rape and murder of a minor, along with counts of torture and abuse. She shared the details of being a victim of domestic abuse in 2018 with the authorities, along with her confession of the murder.
The police are looking into an argument between Dahbia and Lola’s parents, who were the guardians of the building where her sister resided. They had refused to give Dahbia an access badge. The motive of the murder, however, still remains unclear. While it could be an act of revenge, the police haven’t dismissed the possibility of it being an unjustified murder.
It is noteworthy that the numbers 1 and 0 were found imprinted by a device on Lola’s body. However, the significance of the numbers has not yet been identified by the police.
Experts will be called to examine the woman’s state of mental well-being and the possibility of criminal irresponsibility. But the case does not end here. Reportedly, the events had more to do with the immigration policy of France.
The murder has indeed shocked the nation, and become a source of political unrest quite quickly. Opposition parties got a hold of the suspect’s profile, who was an illegal immigrant, and called for stricter immigration policies. Newspapers citing judicial sources reported that the suspect was Algerian.
The woman had been previously detained at an airport for lack of residence permit, and was issued a OQTF (Obligation to Leave French Territory). The incident, according to the far right and some conservatives, demonstrated the shortcomings in the government’s law and order measures.
Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Rally political party criticised the government’s “lax” immigration policies during a heated debate in the National Assembly.
A rally to pay tribute to Lola is expected to take place soon, during which various far-right politicians are expected to take part.
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