French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced on Tuesday that the government has begun procedures to close six mosques and dissolve several associations due to their promotion of extremist Islam. In an interview with the newspaper "Le Figaro," Darmanin stated that one third of the 89 places of worship "suspected of being extremist and listed by intelligence agencies" have been monitored since November 2020. He added that the government "has initiated procedures to close six of them," noting that these places of worship are spread across five French departments.
The French minister emphasized that security agencies, in their efforts to combat "Islamic separatism," have carried out approximately "24,000 inspections since 2017 (...) and 650 closures of places frequented by extremists." He stated that he would request the dissolution of the Islamic publishing house "Noi" and the "African Black Defense League." He explained that "Noi," based in Ariège (south), "incites the extermination of Jews and calls for the stoning of homosexuals." As for the "African Black Defense League," which proclaimed itself during a demonstration against police violence organized in June 2020 in front of the U.S. Embassy in Paris, the Interior Minister said he would request its dissolution because it "calls for hatred and racial discrimination."
He added, "Next year, there will be 10 more associations subject to dissolution procedures, including four associations starting next month." On September 24 of this year, the French Council of State approved the government's decision to dissolve both the "Collective Against Islamophobia in France" and "BarakaCity." The government decided to dissolve these two associations at the end of 2020 following the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty by an Islamic youth. The Interior Minister stated that he has requested governors to prevent "any change in residency permits for an imam on secondment" from a foreign country. In the interview, Darmanin noted that the "Republican Commitment Contract," stipulated in the anti-separatism law, which conditions associations' access to government subsidies on their respect for republican values, will come into effect in January 2022.
