‘You’re in denial’ Macron under fire as critics condemn France’s battle against terror

France’s conservative Les Républicains political party warned the French government’s new plan to counter radicalisation focuses too much on the consequences.

The programme does not look at the “root causes” of radicalisation, Les Républicains spokeswoman Lydia Guirous said, adding that President Emmanuel Macron’s government was locked in a state of “denial” over Islamic terrorism.

The plan, announced by Prime Minister Edouard Philippe last week, includes 60 measures and puts the accent on prevention and on the need to catch danger signals within French society.

The measures include doubling the number of prisoners evaluated for radicalisation to 250 per year and creating 1,500 extra “isolated” prison places for radicalised inmates.

They also include plans to better regulate and standardise private Islamic schools, the majority of which are run by religious organisations.

The government also plans to invest in psychological care for the children of returning jihadists and child soldiers and make it easier to reassign radicalised civil servants to posts that do not involve contact with the public.

It is the government’s third attempt in four years to tackle radicalisation, as scores of French jihadists and their families return home after fighting alongside the terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria and the list of names on the state’s terror watchlist grows longer and longer.

Mrs Guirous said: “The government is doing nothing to fight Islamic communitarianism and is denying the real causes of radicalisation in France.”

French conservatives argue the new plan “does not even mention” the need to fight proselytism and be more strict about Islamic head coverings, namely the headscarf, which is already banned in state schools.

Mrs Guirous said: “The headscarf is a militant tool used to promote political Islam, it is a sign of religious exhibitionism.

“The government does not understand the way in which French society is evolving and is turning a blind eye to the fact that a worrying number of French Muslims adhere to a strict version of Islam, one which is at odds with the French Republic,” she continued.

Prime Minister Mr Philippe, said French cities would be sent the prevention plans by June.

He said: “This is a plan of mobilisation. It’s a battle that the state alone can’t fight.” 

The new plan will involve specialists and ordinary civilians on both local and national levels.