Calls for boycott of French goods after president’s remarks
at tribute to murdered teacher Samuel Paty
![image](/2020/10/NWLR1.jpg")
![image](/2020/10/lawreport.jpg")
France has appealed for foreign governments to stamp out calls
by what it calls a “radical minority” for a boycott of French
products after Emmanuel Macron’s public backing of the Muhammad
caricatures.
The appeal came as anger escalated across the Islamic world over
the president’s remarks at a national tribute to the murdered
high-school teacher Samuel Paty last week, with Turkish leader,
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, calling on Monday for a complete boycott of
French products in Turkey[1].
Paty, 47, was killed after he showed his class drawings of the
prophet during a debate on free speech.
After Macron promised France would not “renounce the
caricatures”, a furious riposte that emerged on Friday on social
media under Arabic hashtags gained momentum over the weekend.
In a
strongly worded statement,[2] France’s
foreign ministry demanded that calls for a boycott of its products
and the “occasionally hateful” protests against the country must
end.
“These calls distort the positions defended by France in favour
of freedom of conscience, freedom of expression, freedom of
religion and the refusal of any call to hatred,” it read.
“Consequently, the calls for boycott are pointless and must
cease immediately, as must all attacks against our country,
instrumentalised by a radical minority.”
The statement added: “The ministers and our entire diplomatic
network are fully mobilised to remind and explain to our partners
France’s positions, particularly with regard to fundamental
freedoms and the rejection of hatred, to call on the authorities of
the countries concerned to dissociate themselves from any call for
a boycott or any attack against our country, to support our
companies and to ensure the safety of our compatriots abroad.”
On Sunday, after protests in which the president’s picture was
burned and Erdoğan, suggested his French counterpart needed “his
mental health tested”, Macron also responded.
“Our history is one of a battle against tyranny and fanatacisms.
We will continue,” Macron tweeted in three
languages, French[3], English[4] and Arabic[5].
“We respect all differences in a spirit of peace. We will never
accept hate speech and we defend reasonable debate. We will
continue. We hold ourselves always on the side of human dignity and
universal values,” the French president added.
Turkey, Iran, Jordan and Kuwait[6] are among Islamic
countries to criticise the publication of the caricatures, which
originally appeared in France in Charlie Hebdo, sparking a
terrorist attack on the satirical newspaper in 2015 that killed 12
people.
The Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation[7] also
denounced the “suggestions of certain French leaders … that risk
submerging French-Muslim relations”.
While condemning “all acts of terror in the name of religion” it
attacked the “continued publication of blasphemous cartoons” of the
prophet.
Muslims have also been angered by Macron’s comments earlier this
month that Islam[8] is “a religion that
is in crisis all over the world today”. The comments were made when
the French president announced his long-awaited law against
“separatism” aimed at combatting radical Islam[9] in France, expected
to be presented to the French parliament in December. The
influential university-mosque, al-Azhar in Cairo, Egypt, described
Macron’s statement as “racist”.
In Qatar[10], certain food
distribution groups announced they were removing French products
from their shops for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, French
cultural week planned at the Qatar[11] University has
been postponed because of a “deliberate attack on Islam and its
symbols”.
In Kuwait, French cheeses – La Vache Qui Rit and Babybel – have
been removed from some stores. About 430 Kuwaiti travel agents have
reportedly suspended reservations for flights to France.
Pakistan also criticised France on Sunday, with the prime
minister, Imran Khan, accusing Macron of “attacking Islam” by
encouraging the publication of caricatures of Muhammad.
Masood
Khan, the president of Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir,
tweeted[12]:
“President Macron has ignobly earned a patent
for #Islamophobia[13] and
incitement to hatred against Muslims. We condemn his blasphemous
words and the mindset behind them. France suffered from such a
mindset during WWII. Why does he inflict similar injury on
others?”
After Erdoğan criticised Macron directly, saying “Go and get
your mental health tested”, Paris recalled its ambassador to Ankara
and responded that the comment was “unacceptable”. It accused
Turkey of “whipping up hatred” against France.
As the backlash over France’s reaction widened, European leaders
rallied behind Macron. “They are defamatory comments that are
completely unacceptable, particularly against the backdrop of the
horrific murder of the French teacher Samuel Paty by an Islamist
fanatic,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel‘s spokesman Steffen
Seibert said.
The prime ministers of Italy, the Netherlands and Greece also
expressed support for France, as did European Commission president
Ursula von der Leyen.
On Monday, Erdogan called for a complete boycott of French
products in Turkey, saying: “Never give credit to French-labelled
goods, don’t buy them.” he also compared the treatment of Muslims
in Europe to that of Jews before World War II, saying they were the
object of a “lynching campaign.”
In Israel, about 200 people gathered in front of the French
embassy to condemn Macron. In Gaza, Palestinian protesters burned
photos of the French president.
Police shot dead Abdullah Anzorov, 18, after he allegedly
beheaded Paty 10 days ago. Investigators say the suspect had
communicated with two people from an Islamist group in Syria but
add there is no evidence the attack was ordered from abroad.
Police believe the Russian-born Chechen, who lived in Évreux,
Normandy, became radicalised of his own accord but are looking into
a sports club and two mosques he frequented in recent months.
France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor confirmed on Thursday that
seven people, including two pupils at Paty’s school in
Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, had been charged with terrorism
offences.
Paty was posthumously awarded the Légion d’honneur, France’s
highest honour, at a ceremony at Sorbonne University in Paris on
Wednesday. Macron said France owed it to a “quiet hero … to
continue his fight for liberty and for reason”.
Paty showed the class the images of Muhammad alongside other
caricatures and cartoons of different subjects as part of a
discussion on free speech, after inviting any pupils who might be
offended to look away.
Culled from theguardian.com
Calls for boycott of French goods after president’s remarks
at tribute to murdered teacher Samuel Paty
France has appealed for foreign governments to stamp out calls
by what it calls a “radical minority” for a boycott of French
products after Emmanuel Macron’s public backing of the Muhammad
caricatures.
The appeal came as anger escalated across the Islamic world over
the president’s remarks at a national tribute to the murdered
high-school teacher Samuel Paty last week, with Turkish leader,
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, calling on Monday for a complete boycott of
French products in Turkey[1].
Paty, 47, was killed after he showed his class drawings of the
prophet during a debate on free speech.
After Macron promised France would not “renounce the
caricatures”, a furious riposte that emerged on Friday on social
media under Arabic hashtags gained momentum over the weekend.
In a
strongly worded statement,[2] France’s
foreign ministry demanded that calls for a boycott of its products
and the “occasionally hateful” protests against the country must
end.
“These calls distort the positions defended by France in favour
of freedom of conscience, freedom of expression, freedom of
religion and the refusal of any call to hatred,” it read.
“Consequently, the calls for boycott are pointless and must
cease immediately, as must all attacks against our country,
instrumentalised by a radical minority.”
The statement added: “The ministers and our entire diplomatic
network are fully mobilised to remind and explain to our partners
France’s positions, particularly with regard to fundamental
freedoms and the rejection of hatred, to call on the authorities of
the countries concerned to dissociate themselves from any call for
a boycott or any attack against our country, to support our
companies and to ensure the safety of our compatriots abroad.”
On Sunday, after protests in which the president’s picture was
burned and Erdoğan, suggested his French counterpart needed “his
mental health tested”, Macron also responded.
“Our history is one of a battle against tyranny and fanatacisms.
We will continue,” Macron tweeted in three
languages, French[3], English[4] and Arabic[5].
“We respect all differences in a spirit of peace. We will never
accept hate speech and we defend reasonable debate. We will
continue. We hold ourselves always on the side of human dignity and
universal values,” the French president added.
Turkey, Iran, Jordan and Kuwait[6] are among Islamic
countries to criticise the publication of the caricatures, which
originally appeared in France in Charlie Hebdo, sparking a
terrorist attack on the satirical newspaper in 2015 that killed 12
people.
The Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation[7] also
denounced the “suggestions of certain French leaders … that risk
submerging French-Muslim relations”.
While condemning “all acts of terror in the name of religion” it
attacked the “continued publication of blasphemous cartoons” of the
prophet.
Muslims have also been angered by Macron’s comments earlier this
month that Islam[8] is “a religion that
is in crisis all over the world today”. The comments were made when
the French president announced his long-awaited law against
“separatism” aimed at combatting radical Islam[9] in France, expected
to be presented to the French parliament in December. The
influential university-mosque, al-Azhar in Cairo, Egypt, described
Macron’s statement as “racist”.
In Qatar[10], certain food
distribution groups announced they were removing French products
from their shops for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, French
cultural week planned at the Qatar[11] University has
been postponed because of a “deliberate attack on Islam and its
symbols”.
In Kuwait, French cheeses – La Vache Qui Rit and Babybel – have
been removed from some stores. About 430 Kuwaiti travel agents have
reportedly suspended reservations for flights to France.
Pakistan also criticised France on Sunday, with the prime
minister, Imran Khan, accusing Macron of “attacking Islam” by
encouraging the publication of caricatures of Muhammad.
Masood
Khan, the president of Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir,
tweeted[12]:
“President Macron has ignobly earned a patent
for #Islamophobia[13] and
incitement to hatred against Muslims. We condemn his blasphemous
words and the mindset behind them. France suffered from such a
mindset during WWII. Why does he inflict similar injury on
others?”
After Erdoğan criticised Macron directly, saying “Go and get
your mental health tested”, Paris recalled its ambassador to Ankara
and responded that the comment was “unacceptable”. It accused
Turkey of “whipping up hatred” against France.
As the backlash over France’s reaction widened, European leaders
rallied behind Macron. “They are defamatory comments that are
completely unacceptable, particularly against the backdrop of the
horrific murder of the French teacher Samuel Paty by an Islamist
fanatic,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel‘s spokesman Steffen
Seibert said.
The prime ministers of Italy, the Netherlands and Greece also
expressed support for France, as did European Commission president
Ursula von der Leyen.
On Monday, Erdogan called for a complete boycott of French
products in Turkey, saying: “Never give credit to French-labelled
goods, don’t buy them.” he also compared the treatment of Muslims
in Europe to that of Jews before World War II, saying they were the
object of a “lynching campaign.”
In Israel, about 200 people gathered in front of the French
embassy to condemn Macron. In Gaza, Palestinian protesters burned
photos of the French president.
Police shot dead Abdullah Anzorov, 18, after he allegedly
beheaded Paty 10 days ago. Investigators say the suspect had
communicated with two people from an Islamist group in Syria but
add there is no evidence the attack was ordered from abroad.
Police believe the Russian-born Chechen, who lived in Évreux,
Normandy, became radicalised of his own accord but are looking into
a sports club and two mosques he frequented in recent months.
France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor confirmed on Thursday that
seven people, including two pupils at Paty’s school in
Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, had been charged with terrorism
offences.
Paty was posthumously awarded the Légion d’honneur, France’s
highest honour, at a ceremony at Sorbonne University in Paris on
Wednesday. Macron said France owed it to a “quiet hero … to
continue his fight for liberty and for reason”.
Paty showed the class the images of Muhammad alongside other
caricatures and cartoons of different subjects as part of a
discussion on free speech, after inviting any pupils who might be
offended to look away.
Culled from theguardian.com