Counter-demonstrators march to denounce the Islamophobic gathering yesterday in Paris.
Francois Guillot / AFP
Counter-demonstrators march to denounce the Islamophobic gathering yesterday in Paris. Francois Guillot / AFP

Anti-Muslim groups descend on Paris



PARIS // Groups from across Europe yesterday gathered in the French capital to give voice to increasingly pronounced anti-Islam sentiments on the continent. Claiming to represent a wide range of political opinion, from Marxists and feminists to hardcore secularists and right-wing activists, the groups said they would coordinate their fight against what they call the Islamisation of Europe.

French Muslim and left-wing groups denounced the gathering that drew about 500 people as divisive. The president of the mainstream French Council of the Muslim Faith, Mohammed Moussaoui, said, "We are strongly in favour of the right to free expression but we feel that such a meeting is a threat to national unity and to our ability to live together."

He accused the organisers of incitement to hatred but the authorities rejected the council's appeal to have the meeting banned. The police cordoned off the area near the hall where the gathering took place but only a few dozen people showed up for a counter-demonstration.

Anti-Islam groups have gained political momentum in several European countries in recent years. In Denmark and the Netherlands, political parties with a strong anti-Islam element are crucial in supporting minority governments. And in Sweden, a similar party for the first time crossed the electoral threshold in September.

The key personality of the Paris meeting, unmistakably, was Oskar Freysinger of the Swiss People's Party who initiated the referendum last year in which the Swiss voted to ban the construction of minarets. The ponytailed politician, who was trailed by bodyguards in bomber jackets and black shades, was mobbed like a rock star by the crowd of mostly middle-aged and elderly Frenchmen and women.

Mr Freysinger said that he was excited to take part in an effort to jointly combat the forces of Islamisation in Europe.

"I do think that the Swiss model can be exported. I think that what we did can be replicated in France," he said.

The meeting, organised jointly by the right-wing Bloc Identitaire and the nominally Republican left-wing Riposte Laïque, comes amid renewed tensions surrounding the presence of Muslims in France. Like elsewhere in Europe, these centre on a range of issues including demands to stop the construction of new mosques, protests against the conversion of food-outlets to halal only and an emphasis on the rights of women and gays. Less than 18 months away from the next presidential elections, several political blocs in France are taking up the matter.

Last week, Marine Le Pen, daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen and his likely successor as leader of the ultra right-wing Front National, caused outrage by comparing the overflow of Muslims from mosques into the streets of French cities during Friday prayers with the Nazi occupation during the Second World War.

The Bloc identitaire is a much younger organisation, founded in 2003, but it is planning to run Arnaud Gouillon as its candidate in the 2012 presidential elections. Mr Gouillon is already well-versed in the emerging European anti-Islam discourse. "I am not against Muslims. I am against Islam," he echoed a line also used by right-wing Dutch politician Geert Wilders and others. The clash of civilisations theme was also taken up by the sole American speaker at the meeting, Tom Trenton, who founded the Florida Security Council, which bills itself as an educational organisation developed by Floridians who say they understand the extreme seriousness of the various security threats facing both the United States and Florida. Conflict with Muslim countries that promote the introduction of Sharia in the West "is inevitable" he claimed.

Asked whether Islamisation is really an issue in the US, he answered, "maybe in the States we can keep things under control for a while longer but here in Europe I do not know if that's possible".

While almost all speakers deplored the idea that they were racist or xenophobic and the organisers had been warned by the police that they would be monitored for such language, many remarks veered from alarmist into the realm of incitement. Both the Dutch and Danish speakers mentioned "gangs of Muslims" roaming the streets of Europe and alleged a link with alleged rape of women.

Mr Moussaoui of the French Council of the Muslim Faith said that the talk of Islamisation was just a cover. "The use of the term is a way of fanning fear among European populations, to make them afraid of losing their identity because of the presence of Muslims."

UAE SQUAD

UAE team
1. Chris Jones-Griffiths 2. Gio Fourie 3. Craig Nutt 4. Daniel Perry 5. Isaac Porter 6. Matt Mills 7. Hamish Anderson 8. Jaen Botes 9. Barry Dwyer 10. Luke Stevenson (captain) 11. Sean Carey 12. Andrew Powell 13. Saki Naisau 14. Thinus Steyn 15. Matt Richards

Replacements
16. Lukas Waddington 17. Murray Reason 18. Ahmed Moosa 19. Stephen Ferguson 20. Sean Stevens 21. Ed Armitage 22. Kini Natuna 23. Majid Al Balooshi

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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List of alleged parties

 

May 12, 2020: PM and his wife Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at least 17 staff 

May 20, 2020: They attend 'bring your own booze party'

Nov 27, 2020: PM gives speech at leaving party for his staff 

Dec 10, 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson 

Dec 13, 2020: PM and his wife throw a party

Dec 14, 2020: London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff event at Conservative Party headquarters 

Dec 15, 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz 

Dec 18, 2020: Downing Street Christmas party 

GULF MEN'S LEAGUE

Pool A Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Exiles, Dubai Tigers 2

Pool B Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jebel Ali Dragons, Dubai Knights Eagles, Dubai Tigers

 

Opening fixtures

Thursday, December 5

6.40pm, Pitch 8, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Knights Eagles

7pm, Pitch 2, Jebel Ali Dragons v Dubai Tigers

7pm, Pitch 4, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Exiles

7pm, Pitch 5, Bahrain v Dubai Eagles 2

 

Recent winners

2018 Dubai Hurricanes

2017 Dubai Exiles

2016 Abu Dhabi Harlequins

2015 Abu Dhabi Harlequins

2014 Abu Dhabi Harlequins

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

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ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand

UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

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Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove

  1. Edinburgh, Scotland 
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  7. Highlands, Scotland 
  8. Argyll and Bute, Scotland 
  9. Fife, Scotland 
  10. Tower Hamlets, London 

 

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
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  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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Name: Peter Dicce

Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics

Favourite sport: soccer

Favourite team: Bayern Munich

Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer

Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates 

 

Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

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1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat