National Rally – Page 2 – Eye on Islamism

Senate report sounds the alarm (again) on radical Islam in French schools Teachers report living with students threatening to 'faire une Paty' — in reference to the beheading of history teacher Samuel Paty — on a daily basis.

March 8, 2024 Hélène de Lauzun

(European Conservative) The French Senate just made public the findings of a parliamentary inquiry launched in the wake of the murder of Professor Samuel Paty by an Islamist terrorist. The findings on the state of French schools are alarming and show that […]

French government puts an end to imams paid by foreign countries Many radicalising imams will not be affected by the ban, critics point out.

March 7, 2024 Hélène de Lauzun

(European Conservative) From 1 January 2024, France will no longer accept the presence on its soil of “seconded imams,” i.e., foreign imams who are paid by a foreign country but reside and officiate in France. The measure, designed to reduce the influence […]

France’s far-right RN makes immigration pillar of Europe poll campaign

March 3, 2024 Dominique Vidalon and Gonzalo Fuentes

(Reuters) The French far-right Rassemblement National (RN) of Marine Le Pen kicked off the party’s campaign for the European elections in June on Sunday saying the vote will be a referendum on immigration. Opinion polls show RN is set to make large […]

France expels ‘radical’ Tunisian imam — interior minister

February 22, 2024 Geert De Clercq

(Reuters) France has expelled a Tunisian Muslim cleric for “radicalism” and “unacceptable remarks,” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said in a statement on Twitter. “The radical Imam Mahjoub Mahjoubi has just been expelled from the national territory, less than 12 hours after his […]

How Jewish journalist Ruth Elkrief wound up in the middle of France’s debate over antisemitism and Islamophobia

February 21, 2024 Shira Li Bartov

(JTA) The Jewish French-Moroccan journalist Ruth Elkrief — who has delivered TV news in France for over 30 years — found herself at the center of the story when she was placed under police protection in December. Elkrief received the security detail […]

‘Clash of civilizations’ looms over EU elections Far-right parties are cashing in on decades of campaigning against Islam and migration, as they move to the center ground.

December 1, 2023 Clea Caulcutt and Nicholas Vinocur

(Politico) Geert Wilders may be just the tip of the iceberg. Following the anti-Islam politician’s shock election win in the Netherlands, European elites are nervously scanning the political landscape for signs of what’s to come — including further surprise wins from far-right […]

Dutch election: Far-right surge gives Geert Wilders late boost One poll puts the anti-Islam euroskeptic in joint first place ahead of Wednesday’s knife-edge vote.

November 21, 2023 Eline Schaart

(Politico) A sudden surge in support for far-right firebrand Geert Wilders has electrified the Dutch election as the campaign enters its final hours. Wilders’ anti-Islam and anti-EU Freedom Party (PVV) has been buoyed by last-minute gains, with one poll even putting the […]

Uproar in France over death-threat comedian’s presidential invite

November 17, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) French President Emmanuel Macron’s party on Friday apologised for inviting to the Elysee Palace a comedian convicted of making death threats after his presence sparked an uproar on the right. Conservative and far-right figures have been quick to make the link […]

French marches against anti-Semitism rally over 180,000 people

November 12, 2023 Gabriel Bourovitch

(AFP) More than 180,000 people turned out on Sunday to march against anti-Semitism in France, after a surge in anti-Jewish incidents across the country in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict. France has recorded nearly 1,250 anti-Semitic acts in recent weeks and […]

France reports 1,040 anti-Semitic acts since October 7

November 5, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) France has recorded more than a thousand anti-Semitic acts since the deadly October 7 attack by Hamas gunmen on Israel, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Sunday. “The number of anti-Semitic acts has exploded,” he told France 2 television, adding that 486 […]

Killing of French teacher inflames tensions over security, immigration A string of violent attacks by foreigners over recent years has reignited the immigration debate in France.

October 16, 2023 Clea Caulcutt

(Politico) Just three days after an Islamist stabbed a French teacher to death, an already fierce discussion on immigration in France has become a lot more heated. The killing last Friday of Dominique Bernard, a high school teacher in Arras, has emotionally […]

Italy approves new migrant detention as talk turns to naval blockade to prevent launching of boats

September 18, 2023 Nicole Winfield, Lorne Cook and Angela Charlton

(AP) The Italian government approved new measures to crack down on migration Monday, after the southern island of Lampedusa was again overwhelmed by a wave of arrivals setting off from Tunisia and the migration issue returned to center stage in Europe with […]

EU pledges crackdown on ‘brutal’ migrant smuggling during visit to overwhelmed Italian island

September 17, 2023 Colleen Barry

(AP) EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged the swift return of “irregular” migrants to their home countries and a crackdown on the “brutal business” of migrant smuggling Sunday during a visit with Italy’s premier to a tiny fishing island overwhelmed […]

EU elections: Le Pen’s niece to run new far-right list against immigration and ‘Islamisation’

September 7, 2023 Davide Basso

(Euractiv) A new far-right list will contest the 2024 European elections in France, led by former MP Marion Maréchal, under the colours of Éric Zemmour’s party, Reconquête!. “We are going to make the European elections on 9 June [2024] a referendum on […]

French schools refuse dozens of girls wearing Muslim robe

September 5, 2023 Jürgen Hecker

(AFP) French schools sent dozens of girls home for refusing to remove their abayas — an over-garment from the shoulders to the feet worn by Muslim women — on the first day of the school year, a government minister said Tuesday. Defying […]

France imposes abaya ban on first day of school

September 4, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) French authorities were on Monday imposing a newly-announced ban on the abaya Muslim dress for women in schools, with over 500 establishments under scrutiny as children across the country returned to class. The government announced last month it was banning the […]

Macron’s abaya ban nods to the right, splits the left But the prohibition on the Islamic garment in schools enters tricky legal territory.

August 30, 2023 Clea Caulcutt

(Politico) With the ban on abayas in schools, French President Emmanuel Macron is killing two birds with one stone: He sends a signal to the right and divides the left. But he also risks opening a Pandora’s box. The decision to forbid […]

French school abaya ban opens fresh secularism row

August 28, 2023 Adam Plowright and Claire Gallen

(AFP) The French government’s decision to ban schoolgirls wearing abayas — long, flowing dresses of Middle Eastern origin — has opened a fresh debate about the country’s secular laws and the treatment of Muslim minorities. Education Minister Gabriel Attal said Sunday that […]

France to ban wearing Islamic abayas in schools: minister

August 27, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) French authorities are to ban the wearing in school of abaya dresses worn by some Muslim women, the education minister said Sunday, arguing the garment violated France’s strict secular laws in education. “It will no longer be possible to wear an […]

Antisemitism accusations over rapper split France’s left A tweet by the rapper Médine is dividing parties in the hard left-Green Nupes coalition that currently leads in French polls.

August 24, 2023 Clea Caulcutt

(Politico) The left’s antisemitism problem has taken center-stage in France. The summer jamborees of the French Green party and the hard left were supposed to be opportunities to discuss climate change, wealth inequalities and next year’s European elections in a festive, holiday […]

French court suspends controversial burkini ban in seaside town Ban is contrary to principles of secularism, court rules

August 6, 2023 Alaattin Dogru

(Anadolu) A court in France suspended a controversial ban on burkini swimsuits in a seaside town, local media reported. The country’s Human Rights League (LDH) had taken to court the Frejus administration’s decision to ban burkini swimwear on public beaches. The Toulon […]

French seaside town bans bathers from wearing burkinis The mayor of Fréjus said burkinis ‘run counter to our fundamental republican principle of secularism’

August 4, 2023 Hannah Thompson

(Connexion) The mayor of a popular seaside town in south-east France has issued a decree banning the burkini from beaches, citing “hygiene and safety” reasons. The burkini — a word that comes from “burqa” (a full-covering garment worn by some Muslim women) […]

Mohammed tops the name list of arrested French rioters Despite French authorities denying the migrant background of many of the rioters, French police statistics show that the name Mohammed was the most common among those arrested during the rioting earlier this month.

July 16, 2023 Chris Tomlinson

(European Conservative) Over 2,300 people have been arrested in connection with the multiple-day riots that shook France earlier this month following the fatal shooting of a teen named Nahel in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. Many have speculated about a connection between […]

France’s anti-immigration far right gets boost from riots over police killing of teen

July 12, 2023 Elaine Ganley

(AP) Widespread riots in France sparked by the police killing of a teenager with North African roots have revealed the depth of discontent roiling poor neighborhoods — and given a new platform to the increasingly emboldened far right. The far right’s anti-immigration […]

Will France’s riots benefit far-right Le Pen?

July 8, 2023 Adam Plowright

(AFP) In her first speech in parliament as France’s riots ebbed this week, far-right leader Marine Le Pen accused the government of turning the country into a “hell” that she had foreseen. “The reality is that you didn’t want to hear any […]

French senator sparks outcry with ‘ethnic’ riot comments

July 5, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) One of the most senior figures in France’s mainstream right-wing party was accused of “crass racism” on Wednesday after claiming that immigrant-origin people who took part in riots over the past week had undergone “a regression to their ethnic roots.” Bruno […]

VOX leader hints ‘anti-EU’ Muslims fuel French riots

July 3, 2023 Fernando Heller, Sarantis Michalopoulos and Théo Bourgery-Gonse

(Euractiv) The leader of the far-right party VOX, Santiago Abascal, indirectly accused radical Muslims living in the European Union of fuelling and masterminding recent rioting and looting in France. The French authorities are still on alert in Paris, although the sixth night […]

Top French court upholds hijab ban in women’s football

June 29, 2023 Marie Dhumieres

(AFP) France’s top administrative court on Thursday upheld a ban on women football players wearing Islamic hijab headscarves, after the issue was seized on by politicians claiming secularism was at risk. “Sporting federations whose task is to ensure the good functioning of […]

Headscarves in football ignite new French secularism debate

June 27, 2023 Adam Plowright and Lucile Malandain

(AFP) After spending past summers debating burkinis, France looks set for a new bout of arguing over Islamic clothing, this time over whether women’s football players should be allowed to wear headscarves during matches. At the centre of the latest soul-searching is […]

French women’s football collective scores in fight against veil ban

June 26, 2023 Ayoub Simour and Marie Dhumieres

(AFP) A French women’s football collective seeking to overthrow a ban on players wearing the Islamic veil during [matches] scored a crucial legal goal on Monday in their judicial fight to force a rule change. Under its current rules, the French Football […]

‘Francocide’: New French far-right term enters language battle

June 16, 2023 Adam Plowright

(AFP) When an Algerian woman with mental health problems killed a 12-year-old child in Paris last year, far-right idealogue Eric Zemmour wasted no time in labelling the crime a “francocide.” After a Syrian refugee stabbed four children and two adults at a […]

French Alps attack exposes Macron’s challenges on immigration

June 9, 2023 Michel Rose

(Reuters) The knife attack on toddlers in a French Alpine town, suspected to have been carried out by a Syrian refugee, has thrown a spotlight on President Emmanuel Macron’s struggles to find support for a new immigration bill in a fragmented parliament. […]

French senator faces trial for tweet saying ‘immigration kills’

March 5, 2023 Chris Tomlinson

(Breitbart) Populist French Senator Stéphane Ravier faces a criminal trial after publishing a tweet in January of last year in which he stated that “immigration kills the youth of France.” Ravier, a former member of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) who joined […]

Zemmour-supporting French MEP stripped of parliamentary immunity

February 3, 2023 Théo Bourgery-Gonse

(Euractiv) Radical right French MEP Nicolas Bay saw his parliamentary immunity waived in a plenary vote at the European Parliament on Thursday, following accusations by French courts of hate speech. Bay, formerly a National Rally (Rassemblement National) MEP, joined journalist-turned-pundit Eric Zemmour’s […]

‘Imam of Peace’ calls on Arabs, Muslims to embrace Israel Hassen Chalghoumi strives to bring people together to fight antisemitism and Islamism, more specifically political Islam.

January 15, 2023 Unlisted Author

(JNS) Born in Tunisia in 1972, Hassen Chalghoumi received his undergraduate degree from a university in Damascus before studying theology in Pakistan. The father of five children, he arrived in 1996 in France, where he became the imam of the Drancy mosque […]

French National Rally: ‘Houellebecq excessive on Muslims’ Leader Bardella criticizes author's words

January 9, 2023 Unlisted Author

(ANSAmed) The leader of France’s far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally, RN), Jordan Bardella, has distanced himself from the words used by writer Michel Houellebecq on Muslims of France, describing them as “excessive.” In an interview with magazine Front Populaire, the author described […]

French far-right MP suspended in ‘back to Africa’ backlash

November 4, 2022 Adrien de Calan and Joseph Schmid

(AFP) France’s National Assembly voted Friday to sanction a far-right MP with a rare 15-day suspension and pay cut after he yelled “back to Africa” at a black colleague, a clash that drew outrage across the political spectrum. Gregoire de Fournas, a […]

Don’t exploit her, parents of slain girl tell French politicians

October 21, 2022 Unlisted Author

(AFP) The parents of a French schoolgirl whose gruesome murder has shocked the country on Friday urged right-wing politicians to stop exploiting her death for political ends. A 24-year-old woman from Algeria with a history of psychiatric disorders has been charged with […]

French govt under pressure on immigration after girl’s killing

October 19, 2022 Unlisted Author

(AFP) France’s government acknowledged Wednesday that it had to “do better” on illegal immigration after it emerged that an Algerian woman charged with the murder of a 12-year-old girl had been ordered to leave the country. The brutalised body of the victim, […]

Paris murder: Killing of Lola, 12, sparks immigration row in France

October 18, 2022 Paul Kirby

(BBC) Grief and outrage in France over the murder of a 12-year-old girl found dumped in a plastic trunk in Paris has turned into a political row over the migrant status of the suspect. Lola’s body was found last Friday in a […]

France’s far-right leader demands more mosque closures Marine Le Pen calls for deportation of all Muslims who have 'radical rhetoric'

October 4, 2022 Alaattin Dogru

(Anadolu) France’s far-right politician Marine Le Pen has demanded more mosques be closed in the country. Her demand comes despite the closure of 24 mosques in France in the past two years upon the order of Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin. In an […]

French interior minister under fire over failed attempt to expel radical imam

September 20, 2022 Fayçal Benhassain

(CNS) Following a botched attempt to deport a Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated imam under a new “anti-separatist” law designed to counter radical Islamism, the French interior ministry is reportedly taking steps to expel others. Mediapart, an independent investigative online newspaper, reported that Interior Minister […]

Multicultural France warns of ‘very high’ terror threat as Rosh Hashanah nears

September 14, 2022 Peter Caddle

(Breitbart) With a number of Jewish holidays set to take place over the coming weeks, officials in multicultural France are now warning of a “very high” terror threat level in the country. With Rosh Hashanah fast approaching, law enforcement agencies in France […]

91 per cent of French support deporting imams who give ‘anti-republican’ sermons

August 5, 2022 Chris Tomlinson

(Breitbart) A total of 91 per cent of French people are behind deporting radical Islamist imams who give sermons and speeches that are contrary to the republican values of France. The data comes from a poll released this week by the CSA […]

Top court blocks French city’s bid to allow ‘burkini’ in pools

June 21, 2022 Tom Barfield

(AFP) France’s top administrative court on Tuesday blocked a bid to allow the “burkini” at municipal pools in the city of Grenoble, upholding a government challenge against a move that revived France’s intense debate on Islam. The all-in-one swimsuit, used by some […]

French burkini ban challenged by Grenoble in top court

June 14, 2022 Robert Plummer

(BBC) The city of Grenoble has gone to France’s highest administrative court to challenge a ban imposed on a new city rule allowing full-body “burkini” swimsuits in public pools. Grenoble’s decision to authorise all swimwear, including burkinis, sparked a legal battle with […]

After unearthing social media posts, French prosecutors now suspect antisemitism in elderly Jew’s death

May 30, 2022 Cnaan Liphshiz

(JTA) Prosecutors in France said they are considering antisemitism as a possible factor in the death of an elderly Jewish man in Lyon, who police initially said had died in a dispute unconnected to his religion. The Tribune Juive Jewish paper on […]

French far-right newcomer Zemmour to seek parliamentary seat

May 12, 2022 Adrien de Calan and Anne Renaut

(AFP) French far-right TV pundit-turned-politician Eric Zemmour said Thursday he would seek a seat in parliament standing in the glitzy constituency around Saint-Tropez, three weeks after failing with a presidential bid. The Paris-born 63-year-old is seeking to establish his new party, Reconquest, […]

Laissez-faire French mayor reignites burkini war (LINK ONLY)

May 10, 2022 EoI News

Eye on Islamism is no longer printing excerpts from articles published by certain news sources. To read the original article, click here.

French government calls UK advocacy group Cage ‘Islamist militants’ Anti-radicalisation body accuses organisation of supporting terrorists and seeking to smear France

April 28, 2022 Nicky Harley

(National-UAE) UK advocacy group Cage, which has a focus on Muslim detainees, has been labelled “Islamist militants” by the French government’s anti-radicalisation body. The Interministerial Committee for the Prevention of Delinquency and Radicalisation has published nine tweets accusing Cage, founded by former […]