Tunisia is preparing, with sorrow and indignation, to receive the body of Hichem Miraoui on Wednesday, June 11. Miraoui, a victim of a racist crime in France, was coldly gunned down on May 31 in Puget-sur-Argens, in the south of the country.
Originally from Kairouan, Hichem, 42, will be laid to rest in his hometown, in an atmosphere of silent but deeply felt national mourning.
His sister, Hanen Miraoui, confirmed to AFP that the funeral will take place in Kairouan, roughly 150 kilometers south of Tunis.
The family is expected to arrive in the morning at Tunis-Carthage airport, where members of Tunisian civil society have called for a dignified and united reception.
It is a heartfelt appeal to all who care about the fate of our compatriots living abroad—too often confronted with stigma, indifference, or hatred.
“This is a call to stand with the family of the deceased, and with all Tunisians abroad who suffer from racism and discrimination,” reads a statement signed by several civil society organizations.
A Recognized Racist Crime, a Society Under Scrutiny
On May 31, Christophe B., a Frenchman in his fifties, fatally shot Hichem Miraoui and wounded another neighbor of Turkish origin.
Before and after the attack, he posted explicitly racist content on social media, leaving little doubt about the nature of the crime.
The attacker has since been imprisoned. He has admitted to the shooting, though he disputes the racist motive. Nevertheless, he has been formally charged with terrorist murder based on ethnic origin—a serious charge, but one still too rare in cases of racially motivated violence in France.
The tragedy comes amid growing concern for visible minorities and citizens of immigrant backgrounds in France.
A Nation’s Wound
The death of Hichem Miraoui has reopened old wounds for many Tunisians with loved ones living abroad. It raises serious questions about the protection actually afforded to expatriate citizens and about the surge in racial hatred across Europe.
For Tunisia, it is the loss of a son—ripped from life in a country that calls itself democratic, yet where racism still kills.
His return home is painful, but it also marks a moment of national solidarity for a Tunisia that refuses to remain silent.
This is not only about burying a man, but about honoring all those living in the shadows of exclusion and violence abroad.
Hichem Miraoui returns to his homeland, carried by the grief of an entire people. May justice be served, and may his name endure as a symbol of a collective memory that no border can erase.
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