LILLE – French police on Monday launched a series of raids targeting Islamist networks three days after the beheading of a history teacher who had shown his pupils a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed.
This came a day after thousands of people took part in rallies countrywide to honor history teacher Samuel Paty and defend freedom of expression, including the right to show cartoons regarded by many Muslims as insulting.
The government would also tighten the noose on NGOs with suspected links to Islamist networks, including the Anti-Islamophobia Collective.
“Islamists should not be allowed sleep soundly in our country,” President Emmanuel Macron told key ministers to discuss a response to the attack. (AFP)
