Moroccan Man Faces Deportation from France over Decorative Sword Possession

A "decorative" sword (katana) was found on the back seat of the Moroccan’s car. He was immediately arrested, placed in custody and questioned by the intelligence services. The case was subsequently dismissed by the public prosecutor, informs France 3 Corse Viastella.

However, a procedure for an obligation to leave French territory (OQTF) was initiated by the prefecture against the Moroccan, and was approved by a judge of liberties and detention for "disturbance of public order" on Monday, November 2. The judge also ordered a residence assignment. But the prefecture, preferring placement in a detention center, appealed the magistrate’s decision, reports Ouest-France.

During the hearing, the Moroccan’s lawyer requested the cancellation of the procedures, considering them as "violations" and "serious infringements of the right to freedom", stressing that his client had not previously shown any signs of radicalization. In addition, the man would have picked up the sword, which would be made of plastic, from the rubble on the very day he was arrested. The counsel deplores that "the file does not contain any form of analysis or photographic evidence of the object in question".

After the dismissal of the defense’s requests, the suspect’s lawyer appealed to the administrative court of Bastia in Haute-Corse, in an attempt to cancel the OQTF against his client.