Police foil procession towards French embassy

Dhaka (Oct 27, 2020): Police have foiled a procession brought out by Islami Andolon in the capital demanding break of the government’s diplomatic ties with France.

A group of leaders and activists of Islami Andolon staged demonstrations in front of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque this morning, protesting the recent comments made by France President  Emmanuel Macron against Islam.

Later, they brought out a procession towards the French Embassy in Dhaka in a bid to besiege it. As the procession reached Shantinagar intersection, police obstructed marchers.

Earlier this month, Macron pledged to fight “Islamist separatism”, which he said, was threatening to take control in some Muslim communities around France.

He also described Islam as a religion “in crisis” worldwide and said the government would present a bill in December to strengthen a 1905 law that officially separated church and state in France, reports Qatar-based Al Jazeera.

His comments, in addition to his backing of satirical outlets publishing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, has led to a social media campaign calling for the boycott of French products from supermarkets in Arab countries and Turkey.

Hashtags such as the #BoycottFrenchProducts in English and the Arabic #ExceptGodsMessenger trended across countries, including Kuwait, Qatar, Palestine, Egypt, Algeria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

On Friday, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned what it said was France’s continued attacks against Muslims by insulting religious symbols.

The secretariat of the Jeddah-based organisation said in a statement it is surprised at the official political rhetoric issued by some French officials that offend French-Islamic relations and fuels feelings of hatred for political party gains.