Macron gov’t orders auditors to find excuse to shut Muslim businesses: report

French ministries have allegedly requested auditors to present "legal justifications," such as violation of health code standards or evidence proving "separatist" suspicions, to justify the closure of Muslim workplaces.

Officials from the Fight Against Islamism and Community Withdrawal (CLIR), which was created in 2018 and generalized in November 2019 and mainly targets Muslim communities in the EU state, have inspected some 18,000 businesses so far.

More than 400 Muslim-owned businesses and companies were forced to close their doors during the operations as a result of pressure exerted by authorities, according to the report.

Expressing concern regarding the unlawful demands, one of the inspection officers told Mediapart that they were asked to shut down businesses, even those not affiliated with radicalism, "at any cost." According to the article, the method they were told to employ is simple: “Target the Chechen community, halal kebab shops or Muslim barbers."

The General Confederation of Labor issued a statement on January 18, underlining that the purpose of the operations designated by CLIR was not included in the job description of the auditors.

Calling the practices "a misuse of labor inspection authority," the statement underscored that the inspection was unlawful and targeted Muslim residents.

In late January, a special commission in the French National Assembly approved the “charter of republican values” which was announced earlier by the nation’s president as the fight against Islamist separatism.

The bill was introduced on Oct. 2, 2020, by Emmanuel Macron to fight so-called "Islamist separatism.”

A grave concern: Muslims in France struggle to even bury dead

1 February, Monday