France’s New PM Unveils Plan to Combat ’Separatism’ and Radical Islamism

In his general policy statement on Wednesday at the National Assembly, Jean Castex, a senior civil servant, mayor of a small town in the southwest and almost unknown to the general public, announced "a bill against separatisms". It will be presented to the Council of Ministers in the fall, in order to "prevent certain groups from closing in on ethnic or religious affiliations," says the head of government.

According to the current occupant of Matignon, Jean Castex, "the Republic is secularism as a cardinal value, as the spearhead of the cohesion of society." According to him, no religion, no current of thought, no constituted group can appropriate the public space and attack the laws of the Republic.

This commitment by the Prime Minister is in line with the same logic as that of the French President. Emmanuel Macron had announced last February that he wanted to fight "Islamist separatism" in France. In doing so, he hoped to better control the speeches in the mosques, sometimes accused of ambiguity towards republican values. At the time, he had banned the reception of imams sent and paid by foreign countries, such as Turkey and Morocco, and had simultaneously increased the number of imams trained in France.

Regarding the security aspect, Jean Castex promised that the State would provide a "firm and uncompromising response" to "ultra-violent minorities" who "systematically tarnish the demonstrations" and to "the trivialization of everyday delinquency". To this end, he announced the "creation of neighborhood judges" from 2021. Their mission will be to repress "everyday incivilities".