On April 11, the French law against Islamic veils goes into effect. In response, the French radical Muslims are organizing a massive protest for Saturday in Paris. They have invited the Islamists from other European countries to come and participate. In England, the despicable Anjem Choudary of Islam4UK, has made a supporting video tape as has Shariah4Belgium.
(Hat tip to Vlad Tepes blog).
In the below report from Le Figaro, the Paris police announced that the planned demonstration has been banned due to fears of confrontation and violence.
\AFP Le Figaro
08/04/2011
Mise à jour : 18:18 Réactions (80)
"Le préfet de police (PP) a interdit aujourd’hui un rassemblement prévu demain à Paris d’un collectif d’activistes musulmans souhaitant dénoncer la loi sur le voile intégral, en raison des troubles à l’ordre public qu’il “n’aurait pas manqué d’engendrer”, selon la préfecture.
Le “Collectif Autour de l’Unicité Tawhid” (CADUT), regroupant quelques organisations d’activistes musulmans, avait déclaré le 4 avril en préfecture la tenue d’un rassemblement samedi place de la Nation contre la loi sur le port du voile intégral qui doit entrer en vigueur lundi.
“Nous avons interdit cette manifestation non pas en raison de l’objet mais en raison des menaces de troubles à l’ordre public qu’elle génère”, a expliqué le chef de cabinet de la PP, Nicolas Lerner, estimant à entre “100 et 200 personnes” les participants potentiels à ce rassemblement. Selon les services de renseignement, des contre-manifestants étaient attendus sur place “laissant craindre des affrontements violents”, a précisé la PP.
De plus, les messages et les images véhiculés par les organisations appelant à manifester “pouvaient en effet être perçus comme des incitations à la discrimination, à la haine et à la violence”, explique la PP dans un communiqué. La loi doit entrer en vigueur lundi.
Sur le site internet de la principale organisation appelant à manifester, on peut notamment lire: “Chers frères et soeurs musulmans, soyez braves et fermes pour défier l’interdiction du Niqab le 9 Avril. L’islam est venu pour dominer le monde y compris la France.” Par ailleurs, “plusieurs des dirigeants ou associations à l’origine de ce projet de rassemblement ont été impliqués dans des troubles à l’ordre public, en France ou à l’étranger”, précise la PP. L’ancien leader d’une organisation dissoute par les autorités anglaises, “Islam for UK”, devait également assister à ce rassemblement, a-t-on appris de source proche du dossier.
Below is a rough translation also posted on Vlad Tepes:
"To keep public peace, the prefect of police has banned the gathering of a collective of Muslim groups that wanted to protest Saturday against the law that begins to be enforced on Monday April 11th 2011.
“We have forbidden this protest not because of the object but because of the threats to public order that it generates” explains the chief of the cabinet of the PP. According to information services, ”
Some opponents of the protest were expected to cause violence and also the messages and images sent by the organizations calling to protest can be perceived as incitement to discriminate, and to hatred and violence” according to the PP."
Stay tuned.
Update:
Today, 58 persons were arrested by French police in Paris as they attempted to defy the ban on holding the planned protest and refused orders to disperse. Two are subject to expulsion from France.
http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/33765
(Hat tip to New English Review)
6 comments:
Well, France asked for it. They passed a law that discriminates on religious grounds. They have also made it illegal for Jews to wear a yarmulke. (A California Jew is someone who thinks a yarmulke is a Japanese motorcycle).
In the United States, if such a law were adopted, it would be a viewpoint neutral regulation applicable to all, requiring for reasons of public safety that the face of any individual out in public be fully visible, and make no reference to specific dress or customs. It would probably have an exception for persons outdoors in temperatures below 10 degrees above zero.
France asked for it, and your coverage is a little biased. There are plenty of non-radical Muslims, and plenty of non-Muslims (like myself) who are against the ban of the niqab and the burqa.
You did not mention that only 1900 Muslims of the 6 million living in the country wear the face-veil. Of course, such a small number does not at all threaten French anything.
France's face-veil ban is going to threaten France. There is no better way to unite a group of people than to make them feel that they are being attacked because of their belief and because they are different. Are you not picking up the parallels with pre-WW2 treatment of Jews?
Xiomara,
Your point is well-taken, but don't you think something deeper is going on here-and elsewhere in Europe? The French want assimilation and many Muslims are taking an in-your-face attitude. The update from Gallia Watch includes a statement by one person confronted by the police that they are taking over France. That is hardly the way to make friends, is it? Is that the way pre-WW 2 Jews acted in France? I doubt it.
Gary, to ban a religious custom, to single out a religious custom for explicit legal proscription, is not the path to assimilation.
True. France is a sovereign nation. Perhaps we shouldn't be discussing this at all. Or, as citizens of the world, perhaps we should express our opinion, even while recognizing that its not our call to make what laws apply in France.
I read today that the law also prohibits anyone from forcing a woman to wear a veil. Do you think that is part of the French thinking? How many of these women wear a veil because they HAVE TO? Not all, but perhaps some?
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