by Soeren Kern
• March 25, 2015 at 5:00 am
The
moves are part of a raft of new anti-terrorism measures aimed at
preventing French citizens or residents from joining jihadist groups
abroad. The new powers are controversial because they can be implemented
without judicial approval.
"These
are legal tools, but not tools of exception, nor of generalized
surveillance of citizens. There cannot be a lawless zone in the digital
space. Often we cannot predict the threat, the services must have the
power to react quickly." — Manuel Valls, Prime Minister of France.
"When
you do a projection for the months to come, there could be 5,000
[Europeans waging jihad in Iraq and Syria] before summer and 10,000
before the end of the year. Do you realize the threat that this
represents?" — Manuel Valls, Prime Minister of France.
"They tell you: Sacrifice yourself with us, you
will defend a just cause." The French government's anti-jihadist
website, called "Stop Djihadisme," features videos debunking
jihadist recruitment propaganda.
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The French government has cut the social welfare benefits of nearly
300 jihadists who have left France to join the Islamic State in Iraq and
Syria. Amid a rapidly expanding jihadist threat, it has also started
confiscating passports, imposing travel bans and blocking access to
jihadist websites.
The moves are part of a raft of new anti-terrorism measures aimed at
preventing French citizens or residents from joining jihadist groups
abroad, and at slowing the spread of radical Islam at home. Muslim groups
are criticizing the flurry of activity as "Islamophobia."
On March 17, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve revealed that the
government has stopped paying welfare benefits to 290 French jihadists
fighting with the Islamic State. He said that the agencies responsible
for distributing welfare payments were being notified as soon as it was confirmed
that a French citizen had left the country to fight abroad.
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