The French president wants to ensure that there was no “overlook” in the examination of procedures, after the attack in Arras which killed a teacher on Friday. Emmanuel Macron has asked that the prefects comb through the file of radicalized people likely to be expelled from France, the Elysée announced on Monday.
The head of state also wants his ministers to “embody a ruthless state towards all those who carry hatred and terrorist ideologies,” an advisor told journalists. In addition to the circular to prefects on radicalized people, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin was also invited to study a “specialized approach for young men from the Caucasus in the 16-25 age group,” he added.
Controversy over eviction procedure
Born in Russia and originally from the federal republic of Ingushetia, the Arras attacker, registered S (for “state security”), had recently been followed by the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI). His father was deported in 2018 for radicalization and his older brother is incarcerated for his participation in a planned attack targeting the Elysée. In 2014, the attacker’s family was subject to deportation proceedings, which were ultimately canceled.
In his circular, the Minister of the Interior orders all the country’s prefects to bring together within 48 hours the departmental radicalization evaluation groups created in 2014 to “re-examine in detail” all “individual cases”, “in particular when it comes to foreigners in an irregular situation,” explained the Elysée. This involves “ensuring that all radicalized people who can be expelled have been expelled or speeding up the procedures”, and “rechecking that there are no oversights and that we have gone well to the maximum of the procedure.
“Specific monitoring” for young men from the Caucasus
The idea is in particular to see if it is possible to obtain a consular pass in cases where this has not been possible until now, in particular with regard to Russia where dialogue on the subject, and therefore, expulsions have de facto stopped since the war in Ukraine. Regarding young men from the Caucasus, the Elysée starts from the observation that in the case of Samuel Paty, murdered three years ago, and Dominique Bernard, killed on Friday, both teachers, the attacker was each time of this region.
“We know that there is a relationship to violence which is particular”, “forms of radicalization which are very strong”, “a very radical culture of the practice of Islam”, argued the advisor of the ‘Elysium. The president therefore asked for “specific monitoring”, to think about “screening or support mechanisms for these young people”, and “to work on stopping radicalization” and “prevention”, according to his entourage who rejects any idea of “discrimination”.