Several pig heads appeared outside several mosques around Paris, authorities said, decrying the insult to Muslims.

French police launched an investigation on Tuesday after nine pig heads were found outside several mosques in the Paris region, the city's police chief said, saying further findings were possible.

"Every effort is being made to find the perpetrators of these despicable acts," Laurent Nunez wrote on X.

Authorities also said that French President Emmanuel Macron's name was scrawled on five of them, Reuters reported.

The heads were discovered on public roads in Paris and three nearby suburbs, according to local authorities.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau condemned the acts, calling them "outrageous" and "absolutely unacceptable.”

"I want our Muslim compatriots to be able to practise their faith in peace," he said.

‘Rise of anti-Muslim hatred’

Chems-Eddine Hafiz, the rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, denounced the "Islamophobic acts" as "a new and sad stage in the rise of anti-Muslim hatred", calling for "awareness and national solidarity against this dangerous trajectory".

France has Europe's largest population of Muslims, over 6 million, for whom pigs are considered impure.

Several EU nations have reported a spike in "anti-Muslim hatred" since Israel’s war on Gaza started in October 2023, according to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights.

Israel launched a genocidal war on Gaza, killing over 64,000 Palestinians since October 7, 2023. Israel’s brutality continues as Prime Minister Netanyahu threatens the tiny Palestinian enclave with more intense attacks amid the ongoing blockade.