French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled a series of measures to combat what he called “Islamist separatism” in a speech Tuesday in one of France’s neglected suburbs in the eastern city of Mulhouse. A significant part of his plan is a strong police presence in underprivileged communities. FRANCE 24 reports.
Macron put forward policies to combat crime and radical Islamism in deprived urban areas where “the French Republic has to reassert its presence”, Élysée Palace sources told AFP.
Community policing is a key part of Macron's agenda to "reclaim" these areas. In a run-down district of post-industrial Lille, in northern France, such a scheme is already in place. Local people say the programme is working well: “You can work in your shop with ease,” said one shopkeeper. “None of the young people bother you now.”
Click on the video player above to watch FRANCE 24’s report.
