PARIS: President Emmanuel Macron on Monday urged France’s Muslim community to step up the fight against “separatism” as he toughened his rhetoric against Islamic radicalism in the wake of a deadly attack.
The centrist Macron, whose main political rival at home is far-right leader Marine Le Pen, has sought to show he is serious in cracking down on Islamic radicalism in France following the October 3 attack by a Muslim convert at Paris police headquarters that left four staff dead.
In a pre-recorded interview with RTL radio broadcast on Monday, Macron said he planned to fight, alongside Muslim leaders, against what he termed “communitarianism” and resistance among some French Muslims to integrate.
“It is a fact that a form of separatism has taken root in some places in our Republic, in other words a desire to not live together and to not be in the Republic,” he said.
“It is in the name of a religion, namely Islam,” he said.
Macron’s comments were broadcast hours before he hosted representatives of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) to press for joint efforts between the government and the Muslim community to crack down on radicalism.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner, who attended the meeting, told AFP Macron had urged the CFCM leaders to “fight alongside the state against communitarianism and Islamism.”
The president told them he wanted to see a “change in rhythm” from the council to wage a genuine fight against radicalism.
CFCM Vice President Anouar Kbibech, who was present at the Elysee talks, said the council would now make “very strong announcements” on the fight against radicalism at an extraordinary meeting called for Tuesday.
There has been an ongoing debate in France in recent years about the role of Islam in a republic built on staunchly secular values where Muslims now make up some 10 percent of the population.
The controversy intensified following a string of deadly attacks carried out by Islamist militants in 2015, including the massacres at the Charlie Hebo satirical magazine and Bataclan music venue.
The October 3 killings by Mickael Harpon, a 45-year-old computer expert who converted to Islam a decade ago and adopted increasingly radical beliefs, has again laid bare the tensions.
Eager not to be outflanked by the National Rally (RN) of Le Pen, Macron after the killings gave a tough speech where he vowed “an unrelenting fight in the face of Islamist terrorism.”
He called on all of France to build “a society in a state of vigilance” in order to overcome what he termed the “Islamist hydra.”
Macron takes aim at Islamic ‘separatism’ in France
Macron takes aim at Islamic ‘separatism’ in France
Dozens missing after boat carrying more than 200 migrants capsized off the coast of Gambia
- At least 102 survivors have been rescued and seven bodies recovered from the boat that capsized on New Year’s Eve in northwest Gambia’s North Bank region
BANJUL: Dozens are missing after a boat carrying more than 200 migrants on their way to Europe capsized off the coast of Gambia, the West African nation’s leader said late Friday, setting off a frantic search and rescue operation.
At least 102 survivors have been rescued and seven bodies recovered from the boat that capsized on New Year’s Eve in northwest Gambia’s North Bank region, Gambian President Adama Barrow said in a state broadcast.
The emergency services were joined by local fishermen and other volunteers in searching for the victims, days after Wednesday’s incident near the village of Jinack, he said.
Thousands of Africans desperate for better opportunities in Europe risk their lives traveling on boats along the Atlantic coast, one of the world’s deadliest migrant routes that connects the West African coast across Gambia, Senegal and Mauritania.
Many migrants seeking to reach Spain via the Canary Islands never make it due to high risks of boats capsizing. In August 2025, around 150 people were either dead or missing after their boat that came from Gambia capsized off the coast of Mauritania. A similar incident in July 2024 killed more than a dozen migrants with 150 others declared missing.
It was not clear what led to the latest tragedy. Gambia’s Ministry of Defense said the boat was found “grounded on a sandbank.”
“The national emergency response plan has been activated and the government has deployed adequate resources to intensify efforts and provide assistance to the survivors,” Barrow said.
Some of the 102 survivors were undergoing urgent medical care, the Gambian leader said.
As he condoled with families, Barrow vowed a full investigation and called the accident a “painful reminder of the dangerous and life-threatening nature of irregular migration.”
“The government will strengthen efforts to prevent irregular migration and remains determined to create safer and more dignified opportunities for young people to fulfil their dreams,” he added.
