Foreign Desk Report
FRANCE: The French government has launched a “massive and unprecedented” wave of measures to combat what it calls religious “extremism”, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has said, adding that 76 mosques are suspected of “separatism”.
Darmanin on Thursday tweeted his interview with RTL radio, writing: “In the coming days, checks will be carried out on these places of worship. If ever these doubts are confirmed, I will ask for their closure.”
He also said 66 undocumented migrants suspected of “radicalisation” had been deported. President Emmanuel Macron’s government has responded to several deadly attacks in recent weeks with a promise to crack down on what Darmanin has said is “the enemy within”.
In October, Macron laid out a plan to tackle what he termed “Islamist separatism”, as he described Islam as a religion in crisis across the world comments that upset Muslims in France and globally. France is home to the largest Muslim minority population in Europe, and some fear being collectively punished after a series of attacks in recent months.
