French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated his rejection of the existence of political Islam in his country, pointing out that it has no place on French soil, nearly a month before the French municipal elections, which will be held on March 15.
The French President also stressed the importance of continuing efforts to combat, what he described as “Islamic extremism” and “Islamic separatism”, explaining that the battle is not directed against Muslims but rather against extremist entities linked to the religion. Macron made his statement in Mulhouse, a regional capital of the Alsace.
During his visit to the Bourtzwiller commune in the eastern city of Mulhouse, Macron, intending to challenge the far-right parties in the upcoming elections, pointed out the necessity for the French state to regain its presence by promoting the values of the republic, facing the manifestations of violence and drug trafficking. He also underlined the fact that any rise of a parallel society, led by Muslim extremists, would not be tolerated by the authorities.
Macron, during his visit to the region, met a youth crowd, in addition to representatives of social and cultural institutions, after having lunch with the police at the police station.
The Bourtzwiller commune, which is home for about 15,000 people, is considered one of dozens of neighborhoods where the drug trade is thriving, flooded with gangs, while the government seeks to impose its control on those areas by strengthening its security forces by human, technical and logistical means.
