Latest news with #French-ruled
Local France
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Local France
Suspended sentence for death threat against judge who convicted Le Pen
Last week Le Pen was given a partly suspended jail term, a fine of €100,000, and an immediate ban on taking part in elections for five years after being convicted for a scheme under which the EU parliament paid assistants who were actually working for her party. The bombshell ruling could crush the 56-year-old's dream of winning the French presidency in 2027. READ MORE: Appeals and rallies: What next for Marine Le Pen and the French far right? A day after the judgement Gerard B., a pensioner from the town of La Garenne-Colombes outside Paris, posted a message on X with a photo of a guillotine accompanied by the words: "What this bitch deserves." On Wednesday, he was found guilty of contempt and incitement to murder. As well as the suspended sentence, he was fined €3,000. The defendant, who was born in French-ruled Algeria in 1948 and who arrived in France at the age of 14, tried to convince the court that his message did not constitute a form of threat. The supporter of the far-right said the photo of the guillotine was for him "a symbol of justice, and I wanted to say that some magistrates perhaps deserve to be judged". During the investigation, the accused, who had no criminal record, attributed the message to "anger" and maintained that one can "say anything" on social networks. "In France, there are people who have had their heads cut off," said the prosecutor, in apparent reference to teacher Samuel Paty who was beheaded by an Islamist militant outside Paris in 2020 after showing his class cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. "Sitting at home behind your phone, in comfort, you may not be taking any risks, but it is a temptation for violent people or those with mental health problems." Advertisement The defence lawyer countered that "we are not dealing with an account with thousands of followers", adding that the "impact of his comments is almost zero". At the time of the trial, the post had had only 200 views. Since the conviction of Le Pen, the judges who handed down the decision have received threats. The head judge, financial crime expert Benedicte de Perthuis, is receiving protection, including increased patrols and regular rounds around her home.
The Independent
09-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
French presidential hopeful sparks outrage with bizarre remote island migrant plan
French presidential hopeful Laurent Wauquiez has sparked outrage in France, even within his own conservative circles, after proposing to send migrants awaiting deportation to the remote island of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, located off the coast of Canada. Wauquiez is among a crowded field of potential candidates vying for the conservative nomination in the upcoming 2027 presidential election. Many are competing to adopt the most hardline stance on immigration in an attempt to gain ground on the far-right National Rally. Wauquiez's proposal, made in a front-page interview with JDNews magazine, has caused consternation in France, including from the government his party supports and from within his own camp. "No French territory deserves to be treated like a relegation zone," said Manuel Valls, a former prime minister now in charge of overseas territories in Francois Bayrou's government. "Forced exile is the method of a coloniser, not that of an elected official of the French Republic," he said. Saint Pierre and Miquelon is a sparsely inhabited French-ruled archipelago located off the coast of northern Canada. The islands remain outside the Schengen free-travel area despite being a part of France. A map of Saint Pierre and Miquelon: The issue of illegal migrants whose deportation has been ordered but still remain in France has become a red-hot debate in France. The far right has seized on the issue of authorities failing to implement many of the so-called OQTF deportation orders - as a sign of weakness from the French state. However, even far-right leader Marine Le Pen criticised Wauquiez's idea. "The place for OQTF (migrants) is in their country, certainly not on French territory. The people of Saint Pierre and Miquelon are not second-rate citizens," she said on X. Some in Wauquiez's party said his proposal disqualified him as a potential presidential candidate. A primary is scheduled for May 17, with a possible second round on May 25. "Many of us thought it was fake news," a conservative lawmaker told Reuters on condition of anonymity. "It shows he won't stop at anything, even the most extreme proposals." Other European nations have explored schemes to transport migrants overseas. Italy 's government drew up plans to send illegal migrants to camps in Albania, evoking comparisons with Britain's aborted scheme to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. Wauquiez doubled down on his plan on Wednesday. "All the dangerous OQTFs to Saint Pierre and Miquelon. I stick to my guns," he said on X.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
French presidential hopeful sparks outcry with idea to deport migrants to remote island
PARIS (Reuters) - French presidential hopeful Laurent Wauquiez has caused an outcry in France, including within his own conservative camp, for suggesting sending migrants awaiting deportation to the remote island of Saint Pierre and Miquelon off Canada's coast. Wauquiez is one of a crowded group of possible contenders for the conservative ticket in the next presidential election in 2027, with many of them competing to take the hardest line on immigration to catch up with the far-right National Rally. The proposal from Wauquiez, the head of the Republicans party in the lower house, made in a front-page interview with JDNews magazine, has caused consternation in France, including from the government his party supports and from within his camp. "No French territory deserves to be treated like a relegation zone," said Manuel Valls, a former prime minister now in charge of overseas territories in Francois Bayrou's government. "Forced exile is the method of a coloniser, not that of an elected official of the French Republic," he said. Saint Pierre and Miquelon is a sparsely inhabited French-ruled archipelago located off the coast of northern Canada. The islands remain outside the Schengen free-travel area despite being a part of France. The issue of illegal migrants whose deportation has been ordered but still remain in France has become a red-hot debate in France. The far right has seized on the issue of authorities failing to implement many of the so-called OQTF deportation orders - as a sign of weakness from the French state. However, even far-right leader Marine Le Pen criticised Wauquiez's idea. "The place for OQTF (migrants) is in their country, certainly not on French territory. The people of Saint Pierre and Miquelon are not second-rate citizens," she said on X. Some in Wauquiez's party said his proposal disqualified him as a potential presidential candidate. A primary is scheduled for May 17, with a possible second round on May 25. "Many of us thought it was fake news," a conservative lawmaker told Reuters on condition of anonymity. "It shows he won't stop at anything, even the most extreme proposals." Other European nations have explored schemes to transport migrants overseas. Italy's government drew up plans to send illegal migrants to camps in Albania, evoking comparisons with Britain's aborted scheme to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. Wauquiez doubled down on his plan on Wednesday. "All the dangerous OQTFs to Saint Pierre and Miquelon. I stick to my guns," he said on X.
Al Arabiya
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
French presidential hopeful sparks outcry with idea to deport migrants to remote island
French presidential hopeful Laurent Wauquiez has caused an outcry in France, including within his own conservative camp, for suggesting sending migrants awaiting deportation to the remote island of Saint Pierre and Miquelon off Canada's coast. Wauquiez is one of a crowded group of possible contenders for the conservative ticket in the next presidential election in 2027, with many of them competing to take the hardest line on immigration to catch up with the far-right National Rally. The proposal from Wauquiez, the head of the Republicans party in the lower house, made in a front-page interview with JDNews magazine, has caused consternation in France, including from the government his party supports and from within his camp. 'No French territory deserves to be treated like a relegation zone,' said Manuel Valls, a former prime minister now in charge of overseas territories in Francois Bayrou's government. 'Forced exile is the method of a colonizer, not that of an elected official of the French Republic,' he said. Saint Pierre and Miquelon is a sparsely inhabited French-ruled archipelago located off the coast of northern Canada. The islands remain outside the Schengen free-travel area despite being a part of France. The issue of illegal migrants whose deportation has been ordered but still remain in France has become a red-hot debate in France. The far right has seized on the issue of authorities failing to implement many of the so-called OQTF deportation orders - as a sign of weakness from the French state. However, even far-right leader Marine Le Pen criticized Wauquiez's idea. 'The place for OQTF (migrants) is in their country, certainly not on French territory. The people of Saint Pierre and Miquelon are not second-rate citizens,' she said on X. Some in Wauquiez's party said his proposal disqualified him as a potential presidential candidate. A primary is scheduled for May 17, with a possible second round on May 25. 'Many of us thought it was fake news,' a conservative lawmaker told Reuters on condition of anonymity. 'It shows he won't stop at anything, even the most extreme proposals.' Other European nations have explored schemes to transport migrants overseas. Italy's government drew up plans to send illegal migrants to camps in Albania, evoking comparisons with Britain's aborted scheme to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. Wauquiez doubled down on his plan on Wednesday. 'All the dangerous OQTFs to Saint Pierre and Miquelon. I stick to my guns,' he said on X.
Reuters
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
French presidential hopeful sparks outcry with idea to deport migrants to remote island
PARIS, April 9 (Reuters) - French presidential hopeful Laurent Wauquiez has caused an outcry in France, including within his own conservative camp, for suggesting sending migrants awaiting deportation to the remote island of Saint Pierre and Miquelon off Canada's coast. Wauquiez is one of a crowded group of possible contenders for the conservative ticket in the next presidential election in 2027, with many of them competing to take the hardest line on immigration to catch up with the far-right National Rally. The proposal from Wauquiez, the head of the Republicans party in the lower house, made in a front-page interview with JDNews magazine, has caused consternation in France, including from the government his party supports and from within his camp. "No French territory deserves to be treated like a relegation zone," said Manuel Valls, a former prime minister now in charge of overseas territories in Francois Bayrou's government. "Forced exile is the method of a coloniser, not that of an elected official of the French Republic," he said. Saint Pierre and Miquelon is a sparsely inhabited French-ruled archipelago located off the coast of northern Canada. The islands remain outside the Schengen free-travel area despite being a part of France. The issue of illegal migrants whose deportation has been ordered but still remain in France has become a red-hot debate in France. The far right has seized on the issue of authorities failing to implement many of the so-called OQTF deportation orders - as a sign of weakness from the French state. However, even far-right leader Marine Le Pen criticised Wauquiez's idea. "The place for OQTF (migrants) is in their country, certainly not on French territory. The people of Saint Pierre and Miquelon are not second-rate citizens," she said on X. Some in Wauquiez's party said his proposal disqualified him as a potential presidential candidate. A primary is scheduled for May 17, with a possible second round on May 25. "Many of us thought it was fake news," a conservative lawmaker told Reuters on condition of anonymity. "It shows he won't stop at anything, even the most extreme proposals." Other European nations have explored schemes to transport migrants overseas. Italy's government drew up plans to send illegal migrants to camps in Albania, evoking comparisons with Britain's aborted scheme to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. Wauquiez doubled down on his plan on Wednesday. "All the dangerous OQTFs to Saint Pierre and Miquelon. I stick to my guns," he said on X.
