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The far-right has not wasted a minute connecting the fire in the Notre Dame cathedral to a range of far-right conspiratorial ideas. Many suggest that it wasn’t an accident but an attack by Muslims or a consequence of Muslim immigration and a sign that the West is in decline. 
This is an example of how the far-right is using a tragic accident and based on no evidence, putting it in a context of an ongoing conflict between Muslims and “Europeans” and stoking up Islamophobia.
Conspiracy theorist and UKIP member Paul Joseph Watson, as well as his business partners at InfoWars, suggests that the fire was deliberate.
Far-right social media profiles and websites are quick to take up previous cases of Islamic terrorism and implicitly suggest a connection.
Canadian white nationalist and previous Rebel Media reporter and Faith Goldy also suggest that it was a planned attack.
Alt-right figurehead Richard Spencer hopes the fire “serves to spur the White man into action”
Meanwhile, on image boards like 4Chan and 8Chan people are arguing that images of the burning Notre Dame should be used to stoke up Islamophobia and hate against Muslims.
