At least nine severed pig heads were discovered outside several mosques across Paris and its suburbs on Tuesday, prompting a swift response from authorities who denounced the incidents as grievous insults to France’s Muslim community.

The pig heads were found placed in front of at least two mosques within the capital and one just beyond its limits.

Another was discovered inside a suitcase outside a mosque in the northern part of the city.

At one location, the word “Macron” had been scrawled in blue nearby, in what appeared to be a political reference.

Paris’s police chief, Laurent Nunez, announced that a hate-crime investigation has been opened.

“An inquiry has been immediately opened,” he stated via social media.

“Everything is being done to find the perpetrators of these despicable acts.” A specialised police unit is examining the incidents under the framework of incitement to hatred aggravated by discrimination.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau also spoke out, calling the events “outrageous” and “absolutely unacceptable,” and affirming that Muslims in France must be able to practice their faith in peace.

“I understand that they feel hurt,” he added.

Chems-Eddine Hafiz, rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, described the occurrences as “a new and sad stage in the rise of anti-Muslim hatred,” urging awareness and national solidarity to counter this disturbing trajectory.

France is known to have the largest Muslim population in Western Europe, numbering over six million.

The investigations are ongoing as leaders seek accountability and reassurances to protect civic harmony in the face of hateful provocations.