(AFP) An outspoken French teenager has reignited a polarising debate over free speech in the country after an expletive-laden Instagram rant against Islam that has forced her to stay home from school on safety fears.
The case of 16-year-old Mila — who has received a slew of death threats for calling Islam “a shitty religion” — has come just over five years after a group of French cartoonists from the Charlie Hebdo magazine were gunned down by jihadist gunmen after poking fun at the Prophet Mohammed.
On Tuesday, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner announced that the teen, whose full name has been withheld by French media, and her family had been put under police protection.
Right-wing politicians have accused the government of failing to show enough support for the teen in the face of what they call “Islamist” threats over the last two weeks.
