A French republication of the controversial Muhammad cartoons from Denmark has led to a fierce legal battle. But France’s politicians — in a year when some of them are running for president — are clearly on the side of satire. France’s satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo was taken to court by Islamic groups in France for…
Seventy-two Roissy airport employees were asked to give up their badges on the grounds that they belonged to or were close to fundamentalist Islamist organizations. For Nicolas Sarkozy, the main concern is “to take precautions in a zone where there are millions of passangers.” The following morning, Phillippe de Villiers, president of the Movement for…
By Simon Tisdall Nicolas Sarkozy’s flat rejection of Turkey’s EU membership bid does not mean the game is up for Ankara. France’s ambitious interior minister believes he is a natural successor to Jacques Chirac. But he has not been elected president yet – and will not be if the centre-left’s likely candidate, S_gol_ne Royal, has…
By Xavier Ternisien PARIS – According to the French Minister of the Interior, all clandestine rooms of Muslim prayer at Orly and Roissy airports have been closed. At the beginning of July there were still eight of them left at Orly, and one at Roissy. Hazem El-Shaffei, the Muslim chaplain for these airports, is pleased…
By B_atrice Gurrey PARIS – Nacer Meddah, the son of Algerian immigrants, was named Prefect of Aube, following public anger at Mr. Sarkozy’s incongruous televised promise of appointing “a Muslim prefect” and in the light of the politically turbulant pr_fecture of A_ssa Dermouche. The French statesmen lauded Mr. Meddah’s appoitnment as the result of a…
