AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron has called The New York
Times media correspondent to criticize English-language coverage of
France’s stance on Islamic extremism after recent attacks, arguing
it amounts to “legitimizing” violence.
“When France was attacked five years ago, every nation in the
world supported us,” Macron told Ben Smith in comments published in
the latter’s Sunday column.
“So when I see, in that context, several newspapers which I
believe are from countries that share our values… when I see them
legitimizing this violence, and saying that the heart of the
problem is that France is racist and Islamophobic, then I say the
founding principles have been lost.”
In his column about their exchange, Smith said the French
president had argued “foreign media failed to understand
‘laicite,’” or secularism, a pillar of French policy and
society.
Domestic support for a firm line on the need for immigrants to
embrace French values is stronger than ever since the grisly
beheading last month of teacher Samuel Paty, who showed his pupils
cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a lesson on free speech.
While paying tribute to the slain man, Macron defended France’s
strict brand of secularism and its long tradition of satire.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
“We will not give up cartoons,” he vowed.
He reiterated his point in an interview with Le Grand Continent
in which he stated that, despite his respect for different
cultures, “I am not going to change our laws because they shock
elsewhere.”
“The fight of our generation in Europe will be a combat for our
freedoms,” Macron said, adding that he believed they were being
“overturned”.
His views have been called into question not just in angry
protests across Islamic countries — many of which have called for
boycotts of French products — but also by English-language
newspapers and even international political allies.
The Financial Times published a piece by a correspondent that
was titled “Macron’s war on ‘Islamic separatism’ only divides
France further.”
The paper later took down the column, citing factual errors.
Defending France’s stance in a letter to the FT in which he
denied stigmatizing Muslims, Macron wrote: “France — we are
attacked for this — is as secular for Muslims as for Christians,
Jews, Buddhists and all believers
-AFP
Read more https://swordpress.com.ng/2020/11/16/macron-criticizes-media-over-coverage-of-islamic-extremism/