In the Face of Terror, France Moves Towards Religious Unity
July 28, 2016
By Zahava Moerdler
Rather than tightening laws and restricting freedoms in the name of fighting terror, French President Francois Hollande insists that unity is more important.
France has experienced a series of terror attacks over the past few months, including the murder of two police officers and the attack in Nice on Bastille Day. Instead of abating, the terror spree continued on July 26 with an attack on a church in Normandy where an elderly priest was murdered. One of the attackers had reportedly been under house arrest and was being monitored for trying, unsuccessfully, to travel to Syria. He was awaiting a trial on terror charges before the brutal attack.
France’s state of emergency, which was scheduled to conclude on July 26, was extended following the attack in Nice. This raises some concerns. First, vulnerable communities in France are at risk of being further stigmatized and alienated, because they are most at risk of being subjected to discriminatory or overly broad policing tactics. Second, a state of emergency that lacks a clear and definite end date infringes on fundamental freedoms.
But on July 27, with the country on alert and tensions running high, President Hollande promoted a message of unity rather than religious enmity. He rejected calls from the opposition to harden anti-terrorism legislation and said that “restrict[ing] freedoms and deviating from constitutional rules, would have no effect on the fight against terrorism,” but would instead “weaken the cohesion of the nation.”
http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/face-terror-france-moves-towards-religious-unity
