Paris (AFP)

Measures against the wearing of the veil and the communitarian lists, or to reinforce the "neutrality" at the university and in the sport: it is a bill against the clearly hardened "separatism" that the Senate is about to vote on Monday. dominated by the right-wing opposition, at first reading.

From the Strasbourg mosque to the Muslim school in Albertville, several current events punctuated the two weeks of examination at the Luxembourg Palace, marked by passes of arms between the opposite edges of the hemicycle.

Wanted as a "marker" of the Macron five-year term, the bill "consolidating respect for the principles of the Republic", mainly carried by Gérald Darmanin and Marlène Schiappa, provides for measures on the neutrality of the public service, reinforced control associations, better transparency of all religions and their funding, home education, or the fight against virginity certificates or polygamy.

But for the leader of senators LR Bruno Retailleau, it was in its version voted by the deputies in February "a text for nothing".

The senatorial majority therefore worked to "toughen it up" against radical Islamism, while relaxing the provisions on family education (IEF).

LR deputy Eric Ciotti hailed on Twitter "the courage of the senators who carried out essential measures", but said he feared "that the majority En Marche will return to the initial text which in no way attacks Islamism".

Once the text has been voted on by the Senate, deputies and senators will try to find an agreement on a common text in a joint joint committee (CMP), but they risk coming up against a major difference of view concerning the IEF.

In case of failure, a new reading will be organized in each of the chambers, the National Assembly having the last word.

Concerning the IEF, the senators opposed the authorization regime that the government wishes to put in place, with in view the school "separatism" of radical Islamists and other sectarian excesses.

Castigating "generalized suspicion", the senatorial majority wanted to maintain the current system of simple declaration, while retaining a certain number of guarantees voted by the deputies.

Against the advice of the government, and despite opposition from the left of the hemicycle, the Senate declined a series of new measures aimed at prohibiting the wearing of the veil - or any other conspicuous religious sign - for parents accompanying outings schools and during national sports competitions, for minors in public spaces, as well as the burkini at the swimming pool.

- Forbid slippers -

For the university, "blind spot" of the text, according to rapporteur LR Stéphane Piednoir, the Senate has planned to prohibit the practice of worship within the confines of public higher education establishments, excluding chaplaincies.

In the line of sight: "prayers in inappropriate places", such as "hallways".

The upper house has also planned to ban the communitarian lists in the elections, and to obstruct the issuance or renewal of residence permits in France for foreigners who "manifestly reject the principles of the Republic".

Also voted on, the possibility of suspending family allowances to fight against school absenteeism.

Some on the right would have liked to go even further, proposing, for example, but without success, to ban the veil at the university or to impose that sermons be pronounced in French.

"Part of the senatorial majority was two amendments away from banning slippers," lamented the centrist senator Nathalie Goulet.

In the wake of the controversy around single-sex meetings organized by the UNEF, the Senate widely voted an LR amendment to allow the dissolution of associations prohibiting the participation of a person in a meeting because of his color or His origin.

Also in line with current events, the senators gave a large green light to a government amendment establishing an obligation to inform the prefect three months in advance, before any public subsidy for the construction of a place of worship.

A provision inspired by the case of the subsidy of the town hall of Strasbourg for the construction of a mosque of the Islamic Confederation Millî Görüs.

© 2021 AFP