[ad_1]
An article by an Amnesty International researcher said that the French government is not a defender of freedom of expression as it claims, and that it exercises freedom of expression differently.
The article written by Marco Perolini, a researcher at the organization for European affairs, added that French President Emmanuel Macron and his government responded to the assassination of the French teacher, who had shown offensive cartoons to the prophet Muhammad declaring his support for freedom of expression and doubling down on his ongoing campaign to discredit French Muslims.
He noted that French police had been investigating four 10-year-old boys for hours on suspicion of “justifying terrorism” “after apparently questioning the teacher’s choice to show the cartoons.
He added that in 2019 a French court convicted two men of “contempt” after they burned an effigy of President Macron during a peaceful demonstration.
He said the French Parliament is currently discussing a new law criminalizing the circulation of images of law enforcement officials via social media, noting that it is difficult to reconcile this approach with the fierce defense of fees from the authorities. French.
The article noted that if the right to freedom of expression includes opinions that can be disturbing, offensive or shocking, such as cartoons, then those who do not agree to publish them have the right to express their concerns as well.
He said that “just as the right to freedom of expression guarantees the possibility of criticizing the choice to represent religions in ways that may be perceived as stereotyped or offensive,” the opposite drawings “do not make a person (separatist) or (fanatic ) or (Islamic) “.
He added: “While the right to express opinions or opinions that may be considered offensive to religious beliefs is vigorously defended, the freedoms of expression and beliefs of Muslims often receive little attention in France under the guise of (universality of the principles of the republic)”.
The article noted that “in the name of secularism, Muslims in France may not wear religious symbols or religious dress in schools or in public sector jobs.”
He stated that “France’s record on freedom of expression in other areas is equally bleak,” explaining that “every year thousands of people are convicted of (contempt of public officials), which is a loosely defined criminal offense that the authorities police and judicial have applied in great quantities to silence the peaceful dissent “. .
He noted that the European Court of Human Rights said last June that “the conviction of 11 activists in France for carrying out a campaign to boycott Israeli products violates their right to freedom of expression.”
The article said that the French government is now working to dissolve associations and close mosques, based on the vague concept of “extremism.” He noted that the term “extremism” was often used as a metaphor for “a devout Muslim.”
He added that the Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanen, announced his intention to dissolve the “Collective against Islamophobia in France” (CCIF), an organization that combats unfair discrimination against Muslims. The minister described the meeting as an “enemy of the republic” and a “back room for terrorism.” But he did not provide any evidence to back up his claims.
The article concluded by saying that “the French government’s speech on freedom of expression is not enough to hide its shameful hypocrisy”, underlining that “freedom of expression is meaningless if it does not apply to everyone.”
He stressed that “the government’s campaign to protect freedom of expression should not be used to cover up measures that put people at risk of human rights violations, including torture.”
