Macron criticizes media over coverage of Islamic extremism
WASHINGTON: French President Emmanuel Macron has called The New York Times media correspondent to criticize English-language coverage of France's stance on Islamic extremism after recent attacks, arguing it amounts to "legitimizing" violence.
"When
France was attacked five years ago, every nation in the world supported
us," Macron told Ben Smith in comments published in the latter's Sunday
column.
"So when I see, in that context, several newspapers
which I believe are from countries that share our values... when I see
them legitimizing this violence, and saying that the heart of the
problem is that France is racist and Islamophobic, then I say the
founding principles have been lost."
In his column about their
exchange, Smith said the French president had argued "foreign media
failed to understand 'laicite,'" or secularism, a pillar of French
policy and society.
Domestic support for a firm line on the need
for immigrants to embrace French values is stronger than ever since the
grisly beheading last month of teacher Samuel Paty, who showed his
pupils cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a lesson on free speech.
While paying tribute to the slain man, Macron defended France's strict brand of secularism and its long tradition of satire.
"We will not give up cartoons," he vowed.
His
views have been called into question not just in angry protests across
Islamic countries -- many of which have called for boycotts of French
products -- but also by English-language newspapers and even
international political allies.
The Financial Times published a piece by a correspondent that was titled "Macron's war on 'Islamic separatism' only divides France further."
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