One of them strengthens the support of the police, the second "tightens" on Muslims and minorities ... international criticism of French legislation, Sisi praises and Paris reassures.

There is a great debate in France these days regarding two draft laws: one is on "comprehensive security", which strengthens the security services and protects them from surveillance, and the second is against "Islamic extremism", and aims - according to Paris - to combat terrorism threatening the country's stability.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michel Bachelet, has expressed her concern about the negative impact of the "comprehensive security" bill in France on people of African descent, other minorities and Muslims.

In a press conference held at the United Nations office in Geneva, Switzerland, Bachelet also expressed her concern about the French police's use of violence against the demonstrators, calling on French officials to open immediate investigations into human rights violations in their countries.

"For a long time, we have noticed a kind of racism among the French security forces, and officials should intervene to curb this phenomenon," she added.

Days ago, demonstrations have been sweeping across France to reject the "comprehensive security" bill, one of which stipulates a one-year prison sentence and a fine of 45,000 euros, in the event that pictures of police and gendarmes are broadcast, according to the European network, "Euro News" (based in France) .

The law - introduced by the government of President Emmanuel Macron, last October - sparked protests in cities across France, including Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux and Marseille.

It has also drawn criticism from human rights organizations and journalists who view the bill as a way to silence press freedom and undermine censorship of potential violations of power by the police.

'Islamic extremism'

These developments coincided with the presentation of the French Prime Minister, Jean Castex, on Wednesday, of the draft law to combat "Islamic extremism," stressing that the text to which many international criticisms were directed is not "against religions", but rather in defense of "freedoms."

The French Prime Minister said that the draft law - which the government calls the "Law to Promote the Values ​​of the Republic" - does not aim to fight religions in general, or Islam in particular.

Castex added - after the draft was presented at the cabinet meeting - that the aim of the new text is to protect people and liberate them from what he called fundamentalist tendencies.

For his part, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanan explained that the bill prohibits public officials from carrying religious or sectarian symbols, and controls the registration of religious associations and the building of places of worship.

He recalled that the law will require associations when they request funding from the state or their headquarters to commit to respecting the principles of the Republic.

The bill also includes several measures, such as monitoring the funding of associations, addressing hate speech via the Internet, and financing places of worship.

Sisi praises

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi praised what was described as the law against "Islamist isolation", which was discussed by the French National Assembly on Wednesday.

In an interview with the French newspaper, Le Figaro, Sisi said that Paris eventually realized the danger posed by the Muslim Brotherhood, as he put it.

Al-Sisi played down the importance of reports that there are 60,000 political prisoners in Egypt. The Egyptian president criticized what he called the "fabricated story" that followed the arrest of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights activists days ago.

French deputies and representatives of French and international human rights organizations demonstrated in front of the National Assembly in Paris;

In protest against Sisi's visit to Paris, the protesters called on France to pressure him to release political prisoners and stop what they described as massive human rights violations.

Some items

The bill - which contains about 50 articles and was presented on the 115th anniversary of the historic 1905 law on secularism - was the result of 3 years of attempts to confront what Macron called "the Islamic hydra", referring to the living "hydra" in Greek mythology.

The bill includes provisions to limit home learning, which now includes 62,000 children, double the numbers in 2016.

The draft law bans the principle of home learning, with some possible exceptions (health, sports, arts ...).