REVIEW - French Politicians Roiled By Islamist Violence In Country

REVIEW - French Politicians Roiled by Islamist Violence in Country

PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th October, 2020) Following a Thursday knife attack at a church in the French city of Nice, the latest one in the recent wave of religious violence in the country, French politicians are voicing their outrage over the current situation and calling for a response against the unnerving trend.

On Thursday, two people died of beheading and another was fatally stabbed at the hands of an assailant, currently in police custody, who shouted "Allahu Akbar" while attacking strangers at Nice's Notre-Dame. French President Emmanuel Macron described the incident as a terrorist attack.

Earlier in the month, Samuel Paty, a 47-year-old schoolteacher was beheaded by an 18-year-old man of Chechen origin for showing caricatures of Prophet Muhammad, the founder of the Muslim faith, in class as part of freedom of speech discussion.

On September 25, another knife attack took place near the former building of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine, which itself was targeted by Islamist gunmen in 2015 for publishing caricatures on Muhammad, igniting the debate about free speech and tolerance of other cultures in the country.

The debate is further complicated by its ties to the issue of migration, especially illegal migration from predominately Muslim countries, brought to the forefront of public discussion in Europe in the aftermath of the refugee crisis of 2015.

"For many years we have not been fighting this illegal, unlawful migration, we have been handing out French citizenship left and right. It was awarded even to those who did not swear an oath, who did not accept our values as it is done in other countries, we were giving French citizenship to people who insulted France!" Joelle Garriaud-Maylam, an upper house lawmaker from the Republican political party, told Sputnik.

Francois Asselineau, the president of the Popular Republican Union (UPR) political party, pointed out to Sputnik what he perceives as a contraindication that accompanies all immigration debates in France.

"The same people, who encouraged this system, who pushed for never looking at the situation, now want the freedom of speech, which is about drawing caricatures deemed offensive by the Muslims, who have come to the country ... Whether we like it or not, we will not going to change Muslims, the majority of whom are deeply attached to the figure of the prophet of islam," Asselineau said.

Whatever one's opinions on the benefits and detriments of migration are, it does not change the fact that many European countries are now home to people who often come from a drastically different social and religious background, unmarked by secularism and the idea of free speech that characterize modern Europe.

The "clash of civilizations," created by this situation could plunge France into a major social and political crisis, unmatched in the country's recent history, according to some political figures.

"This is the beginning of a civil war in France. This civil war is the result of incompetence, mediocrity, lack of culture and cowardice of the French political class of the last forty years," Philippe de Villiers, a former head of the Movement for France political party, shared with Sputnik, calling for emergency laws.

His sentiment was echoed by Asselineau, who also accused Macron of fighting on several fronts while lacking "legal, police, military means."

"It seems that everything is moving toward a beginning of a civil war," Asselineau said.

Garriaud-Maylam, on her part, blasted the country's previous response to domestic terrorist attacks.

"We have been conducting an ostrich-like policy by burying heads in the sand and hoping that next terror attack will be the last one," the lawmaker complained.

Meanwhile, Michel Larive, a lower house lawmaker from the Unbowed France party, urged everyone to demonstrate responsible behavior, adding that his party will support any initiative by the government to unite the French public.

"We should not give an advantage to jihadists. They want us to fall apart, [as well as] the unity of our republican society to crack. We should not give them satisfaction under any circumstance!" Larive said.

A potential victim of the recent terror attacks may be France's rapport with its allies from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union, as they do not show enough eagerness to support Macron's efforts to push back against Islamism, especially in light of his recent verbal spat over the issue with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said his French counterpart was in need of mental help.

Asselineau thinks that the lack of support for Macron in this feud shows that assistance will not come from Europe, citing Russia as a real stronghold against Islamism.

"You will note that [German Chancellor Angela] Merkel and the prime minister of the Netherlands protested only Erdogan's insulting words aimed at Macron about the latter's mental health. Meanwhile, in particular, when it comes to publishing and showing caricatures, nobody is saying anything!" the UPR leader complained.

Garriaud-Maylam, who is a member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, also thinks that " some countries do not realize the risk that is currently present in France."