No place in France for Turkish group that opposed anti-Islamist extremism charter, government says

The French government has condemned a Turkish group over its refusal to sign a charter targeting Islamist extremism, declaring it has no place in France, but stopped short of actually banning it.

Speaking in an interview with French TV on Thursday, government spokesperson Gabriel Attal declared that the Milli Gorus group has no place in France, as it goes against the country’s values, due to its refusal to support an anti-extremism charter launched by Macron’s administration.

“This is an association which goes against the values of the republic, which fights against the values of the republic, against equality between women and men, against human dignity,” Attal said on BFM TV.

Clearly it should not organize activities and exist in the republic.

Despite Attal’s strongly condemning the organization, he was clear that it was not currently being banned by the government.

The charter, described by President Emmanuel Macon as “a truly foundational text for relations between the state and Islam in France,” was announced by the government in response to a series of terrorist attacks in 2020.

The 10-point document was supported by all eight of the French Council of the Muslim Faith’s (CFCM) federations, but some groups – including Milli Gorus – refused to back it because of concerns it would “undermine the honor of Muslims with its accusatory and marginalizing character.” 

The condemnation of the Turkish group comes amid tense relations between Paris and Ankara, exacerbated by Macron’s approach to combating Islamist extremism in France. While it appeared last month that the two nations were working to improve their relations, after France declared progress had been made, just weeks later, their spat restarted, over claims Turkey was interfering in the French presidential election. 

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