(AFP) France’s justice minister said on Monday that he was “resolutely opposed” to a bill aimed at removing “apology for terrorism” from the criminal code, a move that has attracted condemnation across the political spectrum.
The hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) proposal aims to axe a provision criminalising acts defending or positively portraying terrorist acts from the country’s penal code.
The law was part of an 1881 press law until it was added to the criminal code in 2014, as France saw a stream of its citizens travelling to Syria to fight alongside the Islamic State jihadist group.
“I don’t understand how we can let our guard down in the face of the threat of terrorism, which is very present today,” Justice Minister Didier Migaud told France 2 television.
