https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from France in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The complex and frequently-misunderstood concept of laïcité - secularism - is set to be reinforced with the creation of a new office designed to oversee the application of one of the fundamental principles of the French republic. https://www.thelocal.fr/20210715/france-sets-up-office-of-laicite-to-defend-its-secular-ideals Thu, 15 Jul 2021 14:38:59 +0200 france-sets-up-office-of-laicite-to-defend-its-secular-ideals If you follow French news reports you will have seen recently a lot of controversy about 'Islamo-gauchisme' - but what exactly does this term mean and is it really the French version of 'woke'? https://www.thelocal.fr/20210217/islamo-gauchisme-what-does-it-mean-and-why-is-it-controversial-in-france Wed, 17 Feb 2021 18:16:33 +0100 islamo-gauchisme-what-does-it-mean-and-why-is-it-controversial-in-france The French parliament on Tuesday votes on a bill to battle Islamist extremism, which the state argues is needed to bolster the secular system but critics say breaches religious freedom. https://www.thelocal.fr/20210216/french-parliament-to-vote-on-anti-extremism-bill Tue, 16 Feb 2021 09:01:57 +0100 french-parliament-to-vote-on-anti-extremism-bill Three Muslim groups refused on Wednesday to back an anti-extremism charter pushed by French officials following a spate of jihadist-inspired attacks, dealing a blow to a flagship initiative of President Emmanuel Macron's government. https://www.thelocal.fr/20210121/french-muslim-groups-deal-blow-to-macrons-anti-extremism-charter Thu, 21 Jan 2021 08:43:49 +0100 french-muslim-groups-deal-blow-to-macrons-anti-extremism-charter Three months ago, President Emmanuel Macron made a speech in the Paris suburbs in which he promised a law to combat radical, Islamic 'separatism' writes John Lichfield. https://www.thelocal.fr/20210119/analysis-has-macron-succeeded-in-creating-an-islam-for-france Tue, 19 Jan 2021 14:55:20 +0100 analysis-has-macron-succeeded-in-creating-an-islam-for-france The French government has issued a new 80-page guide on how to ensure the treasured principle of securalism (laicité) is respected in schools in France. From long skirts and sex education here are six of the main rules. https://www.thelocal.fr/20180531/six-rules-from-the-french-governments-new-school-secularity-guidelines Thu, 31 May 2018 19:35:20 +0200 six-rules-from-the-french-governments-new-school-secularity-guidelines A French mayor and dozens of other MPs and elected councillors from around the Paris region sang the Marseillaise on Friday as they marched towards around 200 Muslim worshippers in a bid to stop them praying in the street. https://www.thelocal.fr/20171110/french-mayor-leads-protest-to-stop-muslim-worshippers-praying-in-street Fri, 10 Nov 2017 18:09:48 +0100 french-mayor-leads-protest-to-stop-muslim-worshippers-praying-in-street Nearly 37,000 people signed an online petition as of Thursday protesting against a French court order to remove a cross from a statue of the late Polish-born Pope John Paul II in Brittany, western France. https://www.thelocal.fr/20171102/poles-launch-petition-against-french-plan-to-axe-cross-in-breton-town Thu, 02 Nov 2017 14:24:12 +0100 poles-launch-petition-against-french-plan-to-axe-cross-in-breton-town France's highest court has demanded that a cross overhanging a statue of former Pope John Paul II be removed from a a square in a Breton town, provoking anger among those who believe France's Catholic heritage is being destroyed. https://www.thelocal.fr/20171031/unholy-row-in-france-after-officials-demand-removal-of-cross Tue, 31 Oct 2017 13:34:11 +0100 unholy-row-in-france-after-officials-demand-removal-of-cross In a secular state bruised by a string of jihadist attacks, religious education is a sensitive subject. But in recent years, France has cautiously begun developing religious education in schools. https://www.thelocal.fr/20171020/the-fine-line-of-teaching-religion-in-frances-secular-schools Fri, 20 Oct 2017 10:38:06 +0200 the-fine-line-of-teaching-religion-in-frances-secular-schools A teacher in central France has been suspended after he read passages of the bible to his primary school pupils. Educagtion authorities in the staunchly secular country have been accused of overreacting. https://www.thelocal.fr/20170302/french-teacher-suspended-for-reading-bible-to-pupils-in-class Thu, 02 Mar 2017 17:57:20 +0100 french-teacher-suspended-for-reading-bible-to-pupils-in-class A town in eastern France has been ordered to remove a statue of the Virgin Mary to comply with a national ban on religious symbols in public, the local mayor has said. https://www.thelocal.fr/20161205/french-town-ordered-to-remove-statue-of-virgin-mary Mon, 05 Dec 2016 09:24:41 +0100 french-town-ordered-to-remove-statue-of-virgin-mary A mayor on the French island of Corsica on Monday became the third nationwide to announce a ban on burqinis, after violent clashes broke out, allegedly sparked by tourists taking pictures of women wearing the full-body swimsuit. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160815/a-third-french-town-has-introduced-a-burqini-ban Mon, 15 Aug 2016 14:16:23 +0200 a-third-french-town-has-introduced-a-burqini-ban French schools were supposed to celebrate a national Day of "Secularism" on Wednesday, but it appears the subject was hardly given a mention. The Local looks at why. https://www.thelocal.fr/20151209/france-day-of-secularism Wed, 09 Dec 2015 18:18:34 +0100 france-day-of-secularism Is a long, black skirt a "conspicuous" sign of Islam? Or is that pushing France's strict secularity laws a little too far? https://www.thelocal.fr/20150429/does-a-long-black-skirt-flout-frances-secularism Wed, 29 Apr 2015 19:01:42 +0200 does-a-long-black-skirt-flout-frances-secularism Paris transport chiefs have lifted their ban on an advertising poster mentioning "Christians of the East," after coming under fire for pushing France's beloved secularity too far. https://www.thelocal.fr/20150407/paris-metro-lefts-ad-ban Tue, 07 Apr 2015 10:49:19 +0200 paris-metro-lefts-ad-ban As the annual Christmas battle over nativity scenes rages in France, it was a victory for the traditionalists in southern Montpellier on Friday as a court refused to order the removal of a town hall creche. https://www.thelocal.fr/20141219/traditionalists-win-french-christmas-crib-case Fri, 19 Dec 2014 18:33:00 +0100 traditionalists-win-french-christmas-crib-case The latest row over secularism in France has erupted after a court in the western city of Nantes ordered a traditional nativity scene to be removed from the Christmas decorations in a local council building. https://www.thelocal.fr/20141203/nativity-scene-banned-france-secularism-nantes Wed, 03 Dec 2014 13:25:00 +0100 nativity-scene-banned-france-secularism-nantes A French official has stoked controversy this week by suggesting some of France’s Christian holidays should be removed and replaced with a national day off for the Jewish and Muslim festivals of Yom Kippur and Eid. https://www.thelocal.fr/20130926/french-row-over-plan-to-remove-christian-holidays Thu, 26 Sep 2013 16:23:00 +0200 french-row-over-plan-to-remove-christian-holidays The French government announced this week, that a “secularism charter” will be placed in every school in the country by the end of September. The plan is only the latest in a series of recent controversies over the place of religion in French education. https://www.thelocal.fr/20130827/france-plans-secular-charter-in-every-school Tue, 27 Aug 2013 15:27:00 +0200 france-plans-secular-charter-in-every-school