Government & Politics

Macron, hard-line interior minister agree to disagree on immigration crackdown after first meeting The meeting was described as an opportunity to share perspectives — without the goal of reaching an agreement.

(Politico) When Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau headed over to the Elysée palace to meet President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, he wasn’t looking for commonality. He went to stand his ground. Macron and Retailleau spoke face to face for the first [time] since […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Outcry after researcher says prominent French mayor ‘appears Muslim’ Israeli-Gaza conflict is hugely sensitive topic in France, home to Europe's largest Muslim and Jewish communities

(National-UAE) Senior French officials have rallied behind Karim Bouamrane, a prominent mayor of Moroccan origin, in response to remarks widely viewed as racist by a researcher who said he is “Muslim in appearance” and suggested his popularity comes from his refusal to […]

Government & Politics

France’s interior minister says he ‘does not rule out’ banning the Muslim Brotherhood Right-winger Bruno Retailleau, appointed in September, also advocates for a new criminal offence to fight 'insidious' political Islam in the country

(Middle East Eye) The new French interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, has declared that he is not ruling out classifying the Muslim Brotherhood as a “terrorist” group and banning it, while advocating for the establishment of a new criminal offence to fight political […]

Immigration

ISIS-K behind foiled Election Day terrorism plot, U.S. officials say Charging documents said the suspect told the FBI that he was communicating with a person named 'Malik' and that he knew 'Malik' was affiliated with the Afghan branch of the Islamic State.

(NBC) ISIS-K, the Afghan branch of the Islamic State, directed an Afghan man’s foiled U.S. Election Day terror plot, according to two senior U.S. officials briefed on the matter. Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, was arrested by the FBI last week in Oklahoma […]

Academics & Education

French teachers seek state protection after Paty and Bernard killings Following the murders of Samuel Paty and Dominique Bernard, nationwide concerns over teacher safety in France have surged in recent years.

(Euronews) In the years following the tragic killings of French teachers Samuel Paty and Dominique Bernard, there has been a sharp increase in the number of educators requesting protection from the state. According to recent data from the French Ministry of Education, […]

Government & Politics

The French government wants a new immigration law for 2025 The new measures, which could include extending detention and limiting regularisation for migrants, may spark further divisions in the French Parliament.

(Euronews) The French government is pushing for a new immigration law by early 2025, according to spokesperson Maud Bregeon, who announced the plans on BFMTV. The move comes just a year after the last immigration bill, which faced sharp divisions in Parliament […]

Academics & Education

Violence in French school sparks debate on headscarf and secularism An 18-year-old student assaulted a teacher after being asked to remove her headscarf at a high school [in] Tourcoing, in the latest incident involving France's ban on hijab.

(Euronews) An 18-year-old student was taken into police custody on Monday evening after allegedly assaulting her teacher at Lycée Sévigné in the northern French city of Tourcoing. The incident reportedly happened after the teacher asked the student to remove her headscarf, as […]

Government & Politics

France deports Osama bin Laden’s son from Normandy village France's interior minister announced Omar bin Laden was deported over accusations of glorifying terrorism on social media, while bin Laden has claimed his innocence.

(Euronews) France’s interior minister announced Omar bin Laden had been deported from a Normandy village he was living in after he was accused of glorifying terrorism on social media. In a post shared on X early Tuesday morning, French Interior Minister Bruno […]

Demonstrations

Europe braces for riots and terror attacks as October 7th anniversary approaches In Berlin, security forces are concerned about being overwhelmed by the scale of anti-Israel demonstrations.

(European Conservative) Across Europe, authorities are bracing for a wave of protests and violence as the first anniversary of the October 7th Hamas terror attacks on Israel approaches. Ministers and security forces in several countries have warned of heightened unrest in major […]

Government & Politics

FM says ‘Iranian terrorist proxies’ might attack Israeli athletes, tourists in Paris Katz thanks France for ‘unprecedented’ measures to protect delegation to Olympics; hackers say they posted personal info of athletes, claiming they are covert IDF agents

(Times of Israel) Foreign Minister Israel Katz sent a letter to his French counterpart Stéphane Séjourné on Thursday, warning him of an Iranian-backed plot to attack Israeli tourists and athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics. “There are those who seek to undermine […]

Internet

Fake video of threat to Olympic Games appears to be from Russia, researchers say Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center, which reviewed the video at NBC News’ request, said it appears to have come from a known Russian disinformation group.

(NBC) A video spreading on X and Telegram of a man purporting to be a Hamas fighter threatening the Olympics in Paris is part of a Russian-linked disinformation campaign meant to disrupt the event, according to researchers at Microsoft. On Telegram, Hamas […]