A private Muslim school in Echirolles, described as “Salafist-inspired” by Jean-Michel Blanquer, will file a complaint against the Minister of National Education – Eric Cabanis / AFP
The government tabled on Monday a last-minute amendment to the bill on “separatism”, examined at first reading in the Senate, to allow the prefect to oppose the opening of schools out of contract supported by a foreign state “Hostile” to the Republic. The upper house will examine it at the very end of the afternoon or early evening, just before the vote on the whole of the bill “reinforcing respect for the principles of the Republic”.
Change in line with the weekend news
“This new legislative tool will make it possible to oppose the opening of schools like that of Albertville by the Millî Görüs”, indicated the Minister of the Interior in a press release. It was filed at the request of Emmanuel Macron, said Minister Gerald Darmanin on his Twitter account.
The prefect can oppose the opening of a private establishment “for reasons drawn from the international relations of France or the defense of its sovereignty”, according to the text of the amendment tabled by the government. The president of the Senate Law Commission François-Noël Buffet (LR) will propose replacing the terms “its sovereignty” by “its fundamental interests”.
This government amendment is directly in the news of the weekend. A controversy swells after the decision of the administrative court of Grenoble forced the mayor of Albertville (Savoie) to authorize the construction of a private primary school at the initiative of the Islamic Confederation Millî Görüs (CIMG), close to Turkey.
The decision cancels the refusal of the building permit, which had been filed in 2019 by the association to establish a school of 400 students in this city of about 20,000 inhabitants. The court ruled that the reasons given by the town hall, relating in particular to the parking spaces, were not admissible.
For the president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Laurent Wauquiez (LR), this government amendment is a “first concrete step forward”. “Our cry of alert has made it possible to move things forward”, he rejoiced on BFM-TV. However, he moderated his enthusiasm by demanding that the project “concretely be blocked”.
The prefect of Savoie Pascal Bolot wished on Sunday an appeal against the judgment, in an interview with the daily The Dauphiné Libéré, protesting against a “disproportionate” and “separatist” project.