Barely announced, the "States General of Secularism", launched this Tuesday with the objective of reaching out to young people and to have a peaceful debate on this sensitive subject, have already been widely criticized and qualified as a media coup.

The "States General of Secularism", which should last until this summer, began this Tuesday morning with a "high level conference" at the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts (Cnam) in Paris, launched by Marlène Schiappa, Minister Delegate for Citizenship, in which the essayist Caroline Fourest and the philosophers Henri Pena Ruiz and Gaspard Koenig participate.

A "remedy" to cure a country "sick" of separatism

Academician Barbara Cassin or lawyer Richard Malka will join the proceedings later.

Because until the summer, will be held "round tables and working groups on freedom of expression, research, youth, civic integration," said Marlène Schiappa in

Le Journal du dimanche

.

“White cards” will also be entrusted to associations, such as the Licra.

A “major consultation” will also be launched “with 50,000 young people, accessible at the address laïcité.make.org”.

“It's a subject of passion.

The idea is to say: let's talk about it together and listen to each other, ”defended Marlène Schiappa.

The sensitive issue of French-style secularism regularly opposes two camps.

The supporters of respect for religious freedom as long as it does not disturb public order, on the one hand;

the supporters of a further restriction of religious freedom, in particular the wearing of religious symbols such as the veil, on the other hand.

Among the latter, competition is fierce between ministers assaulting proposals, such as Gérald Darmanin at the Interior, for whom secularism must be the "remedy" to cure a country "sick" of Islamist separatism.

But also the Minister of Education Jean-Michel Blanquer, who told

Le Monde that he

wanted to launch a think tank on secularism in view of the presidential election of 2022.

A debate after a law

Marlène Schiappa, minister under the supervision of Gerald Darmanin, occupies the field and makes proposals to replace the Observatory of secularism. This body chaired for eight years by the former socialist minister Jean-Louis Bianco, is accused by certain politicians or members of the Republican Spring of having been too lax against Islamism. Matignon must announce in the coming weeks the new device which will succeed the Observatory. Barely announced, these States General were already under fire from critics.

"We do not have a debate after a law", denounced Monday on France Info the MEP EELV Yannick Jadot, in reference to the bill fighting against "separatism" adopted at first reading last week by the Senate and wanted as a marker of the Macron five-year term.

While Marlène Schiappa announced wanting to "get out of the pincers between on the one hand the far-right identitarians and on the other the indigenous people and Europe Ecology-The Greens", the elected ecologist asked on Twitter that "the insults ”from the minister.

"Marlène Schiappa launches the States General of secularism after her government has made it a tool for stigmatizing Muslims" with the "separatism" law, also estimated Senator (EELV) Esther Benbassa.

"A grotesque communication operation"

The CFDT asked to "stop making secularism an object of permanent media unrest". Laurent Berger's union, invited by the minister, told him that "this kind of initiative was poorly chosen while the law" against separatism "is still in the pipeline (and poses many problems)". "We are preparing the ground to replace the Observatory of secularism, which was doing an excellent job (...) by a new body in the pay of the government", judged Aurélien Taché, former LREM deputy, presenting these States General as "a grotesque communication operation ”.

The president of the International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism (Licra), Mario Stasi, who will participate, has placed himself on the ground of appeasement.

"If the debate moves from this spillway of hatred, of invective that are social networks, towards in-depth work putting side by side different approaches to secularism" and allowing "to come out with concrete proposals in respect of the law 1905, if that is the Estates General, I only see advantages, ”said Mario Stasi.

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  • Marlene Schiappa

  • Government

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  • Secularism