The Emmanuel Macron Administration in Paris is in trouble, as thousands have taken to the streets in several French cities, including the National Capital, to stage protests against the proposed Security Law. Paris turned into a battlefield of sorts on December 6, with the angry protesters pelting stones on the Police. They also set cars on fire, apart from vandalising shops. The Police used tear gas in order to tackle the situation. The Government of France confirmed that 95 protesters were arrested and at least 67 Policemen received injuries.

As per the Article 24 of the Draft Law, the Government will impose a ban on publishing pictures of Police Officers. The protesters wanted the Government to annul this Article, as they believe that there would be an increase in incidents related to Police torture, if people are unable to identify the officers. The protesters slammed the Government for launching attacks on Civil Rights and Press Freedom, instead of arranging for better training facilities for the Police.

The Political Experts are of the opinion that it was not a protest against the Draft Law, but against President Macron’s Anti-People Policies. According to a survey, only 38% of the people back the President at the moment. Diplomats, too, have expressed serious concern over the current Political Situation in France, saying that supporters of the Right-Wing parties, who had brought Macron to power three years ago, might oust the president in 2022!

The Macron Administration recently triggered a fresh controversy by beginning a crackdown on Mosques suspected of encouraging the Islamist Extremists. A couple of weeks ago, Interior Minister of France Gerald Darmanin announced an operation, targeting dozens of Mosques and Prayer Houses across the country, as part of a crackdown on Islamist Extremists and Radical Teaching. The Minister also hinted that the Government would soon introduce a Bill designed to combat Separatism. Speaking at a media conference, Darmanin mentioned that the concerned authorities would take actions against Prayer Halls or Mosques, if they tend to promote Radical Teaching and Extremism. He stressed that the Government made a final decision in this regard mainly because of two gruesome attacks that recently shocked France. The beheading of a teacher who had dared to have shown to his pupils cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed PBUH and the stabbing to death of three people in a Church in Nice prompted the Government to take proper actions against the Mosques. “Nearly all Muslims in France respect the laws of the Republic and are hurt by that (radicalisation),” insisted the Minister, adding that only a fraction of the 2,600 Muslim places of worship in the country were suspected of spreading Radical Theories.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed hope that France will soon “get rid” of President Macron. Condemning his French counterpart’s decision to start crackdown on Mosques, President Erdogan said: “Macron is a trouble for France. With Macron, France is passing through a very, very dangerous period. I hope that France will get rid of Macron trouble as soon as possible.” The Turkish President further advised President Macron to get “mental checks“, stressing that it would be important for the people of France to get rid of their president “otherwise, they will not be able to get rid of yellow vests“.

Although the Turkish President has launched vitriolic verbal attacks on his French counterpart, he has received support from no European leader. Europe has repeatedly criticised President Erdogan for turning Turkey into an Islamic Nation in recent times. It is to be noted that the Erdogan Government has started maintaining more than a safe distance from Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s Secular ideologies…

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das