13 June 2016

Sarkozy clashes with presidential rival Juppé over Islam in France

The two leading contenders to be the mainstream right's candidate in next year's French presidential election have clashed over France's relations with its Muslim population. After former president Nicolas Sarkozy denounced the "tyranny of minorities" in a speech last week, his chief rival, Alain Juppé, warned that judging Islam incompatible with the nation's values would lead to civil war.

.... The former president called on the French people to "wake up" to defend the national identity in the face of the "abdication of the elites".

A "tyranny of minorities" is "forcing the republic further into retreat each day", he went on, declaring France to be a "Christian country" that must be "respected ... by those who wish to live in it". [RFI] Read more