[ad_1]
Dozens of Internet sites were attacked with messages such as “Victory for Muhammad, Victory for Islam and death for France.” The message was clearly political.
In France, hackers attacked dozens of websites and covered them with Islamist propaganda. Messages such as “Victory for Muhammad, Victory for Islam and Death for France” were displayed on the websites of retiree associations, businesses and small municipalities on Monday. Also, French President Emmanuel Macron posted a montage of images showing him as a pig.
The French point of contact for victims of cyber attacks had already posted a notice on Twitter on Sunday that a “wave of cyber attacks” was targeting “many French websites”. “Several dozen websites, maybe a hundred, are affected,” said Gérôme Billois. He spoke of a “clear political message” and recalled a wave of similar attacks that affected more than 1,000 French websites after the Islamist attacks in January 2015.
Macron’s comments caused outrage
The background is likely to be the dispute over Macron’s reaction to the allegedly Islamist-motivated killing of a history teacher near Paris who had shown cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in class.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he would step up measures against conservative Islam, which threatens to undermine French values. For example, he spoke of stricter controls on mosques and Muslim institutions. The teacher Samuel Paty was assassinated by an Islamist in a suburb of Paris. The history teacher had used cartoons of Muhammad in a class on the right to freedom of expression.
Macron’s remarks, including sticking to the exhibition of cartoons, caused outrage in the Arab world. In several Muslim countries, there were protests and calls for a boycott against France over the weekend, which continued into the beginning of the week.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has led protests against France calling for a boycott of French products and personal attacks on Macron. He accused him of hostility towards Islam and advised him to have “his state of mind examined”. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) supported Macron and condemned the abuse.
Iran and Saudi Arabia also criticize France
Meanwhile, Iran and Saudi Arabia are also increasing pressure on France on charges of insulting the Islamic prophet Muhammad. State broadcaster IRIB reported Tuesday that the Foreign Ministry in Tehran had called the French ambassador.
A ministry spokesman had told the envoy that Iran was firmly rejecting “any insult and disrespect to the prophet of Islam … and the Islamic values of any person, regardless of position.” Saudi Arabia condemned the cartoons insulting Muhammad and any attempt to link Islam with terrorism.
(APA / AFP)
