French National Assembly passes a stringent bill to curb extremism -

Paris: – The French Parliament has passed a bill by taking an aggressive stand against the extremists and separatists. This bill will vest additional rights in the hands of the French agencies to take action against the institutions and places of worship inciting hatred and violence. A teacher was killed during a terror attack in October, last year. Thereafter, French President Macron assured to intensify the fight against extremism and had indicated formulation of strict laws for the purpose.

The terrorist organisations, Al Qaeda and IS, have carried out many terror attacks in France over the last five years, and more than 250 people have been killed in these attacks. Following the invasion in 2015, the French government had declared a state of emergency and deployed military in many parts of the country, including capital Paris. But despite the military deployment, the incidence of terror attacks did not reduce in France. It has been observed that the immigrants are involved in these attacks, and the reports of the secret agencies have revealed that even terrorists have succeeded in entering France through the immigrant influx.

Against this background, discussions have started in France over the increasing influence of extremists, French values and the threat to the society. President Macron, who had adopted a soft stand in the initial phases, has made his stand aggressive and has repeatedly warned that extremism and separatism will not be tolerated in France. He also said that the French government would not compromise on its values after the killing of the teacher last year. At the same time, referring to the teacher as a hero, he had praised that he was representing the secular and free ideology of the French Republic.

The bill passed in the French Parliament, on Tuesday, is the next phase of the stand presented by President Macron. The bill was passed with 347 votes in favour, and 151 were against. The bill has a specific mention of Islamic terrorism and asserts that action against it will be intensified. The bill vests additional rights with the French government and agencies. According to the bill, there is a provision to shut down any religious institution or place of worship if it is found to be inciting hatred of violence.

All the institutions in France will have to submit an undertaking that they will abide by the values of the French Republic. Only the institutions giving this undertaking will be eligible for financial and other aid from the French government. Restrictions have been imposed on the funding being received by the religious groups from countries like Turkey and Qatar. If the donation is more than 10,000 Euros, then the organisation must declare the details. Independent and harsh criteria have been set to prevent the removal of three-year-olds from public schools and enrol them in religious institutions.

The Islamic groups in France have expressed resentment over the bill and have started protests.