Pressure on Macron to stem tide of extremism

But French leader's hardening stance against radical Islam likely to face various obstacles

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French police and members of the security services continue to raid the homes of suspected radicals and offices of alleged Islamic fundamentalist groups following the beheading of a teacher who showed controversial cartoons of Prophet Muhammad to his students.

And as French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has pointed out, the approximately 40 separate raids already executed are likely to be continued and expanded to a larger circle of people or organisations who may have expressed sympathy for the teacher's murder or offered justifications for the crime.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 21, 2020, with the headline Pressure on Macron to stem tide of extremism. Subscribe