The law against “separatism”, which notably includes the signing of a “republican engagement contract” by the associations and the hardening of the rules of family education, was promulgated in the Official Journal on Wednesday.
The text, officially called "law reinforcing the respect of the principles of the Republic", was wanted by Emmanuel Macron, who had presented his strategy of fight against radical Islam during a speech in Mureaux (Yvelines) on October 2, 2020 .
Definitively adopted by Parliament on July 23 after seven months of bitter debate between majority and opposition, it received the green light from the Constitutional Council on its major provisions on August 13.
What does the text contain?
Supported by Minister Gérald Darmanin, the text contains a battery of measures on the neutrality of the public service, the fight against online hatred, the supervision of family education, the reinforced control of associations, the transparency of religions and their funding or the fight against virginity certificates, polygamy and forced marriages.
To fight against "separatism", an article strengthens the protection of civil servants against anyone threatening them "with the aim of evading the rules of public services".
Another article, which provides that any association requesting a subsidy must first commit to subscribing to "a republican contract of engagement", had concentrated a lot of criticism during the debates.
The elements of this contract - respect for the principles of freedom, equality, fraternity and the dignity of the human person, not to question the secular character of the Republic, not to disturb public order - had been deemed unclear by deputies. left wing and strongly opposed by the associative movement.
The question of family education
On the right, it is above all the hardening of the right to family education (transition from a declaration system to an authorization system at the start of the 2022 school year) that has been denounced.
In particular, the law encourages Muslim places of worship to register under the 1905 regime, which is more transparent from an accounting and financial standpoint than that of the 1901 law, under which they are predominantly today.
The Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox cults were concerned about certain measures of the text - which deals with relations with all religions - by judging that the balances of the 1905 law of separation between the Churches and the State were called into question. and that the freedom of worship and association was "violated".
The Wise Men only censored two minor measures of the text, on the dissolutions of associations and the withdrawals of residence permits granted to foreigners.
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