France Still Emergency State Until ISIS Game Over
France Still Emergency State Until ISIS Game Over
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PARIS - Prime Minister (PM) Manuel Valls said France will seek to keep its state of emergency until a "total and global war" against so called Islamic State (ISIS) is over. The measures were introduced after the ISIS led Paris attacks on 13 November and then extended for three months. Such a move gives police more power to conduct raids and impose house arrests.
Mr Valls also warned that Europe's migration crisis was now putting the European Union itself at grave risk. Valls also said France was "at war", which meant "using all means in our democracy under the rule of law to protect French people".
"The time necessary. We cannot always live all the time in a state of emergency. As long as the threat is there, we must use all the means," he said, adding that it should stay in place "until we can get rid of Daesh (acronym for ISIS). In Africa, in the Middle East, in Asia we must eradicate, eliminate Daesh," he said. "It is a total and global war that we are facing with terrorism," he added. "The war we are conducting must also be total, global and ruthless." has told the BBC.
Responding to criticism of the measures, France have perfectly adapted the means to the threat
"This type of analysis always surprises me. Do you realise we have had 130 dead?" he said.
Valls also said France "could see attacks again", adding that six plots had been foiled over the past few months.
Meanwhile, President Francois Hollande is eager to enshrine the emergency measures under the constitution, a move that would see dual nationals stripped of their French nationality if found guilty of terrorist offences.
The group of UN experts this week expressed their concern that environmental activists had been kept under house arrest under the measures, which they said "do not seem to adjust to the fundamental principles of necessity and proportionality".
On Wednesday, France's leading human rights organisation called (in French) for the state of emergency to be suspended, calling it "a short-term measure only", adding that it was "highly intrusive towards personal freedoms".
Mr Valls also warned that Europe's migration crisis was now putting the European Union itself at grave risk. Valls also said France was "at war", which meant "using all means in our democracy under the rule of law to protect French people".
"The time necessary. We cannot always live all the time in a state of emergency. As long as the threat is there, we must use all the means," he said, adding that it should stay in place "until we can get rid of Daesh (acronym for ISIS). In Africa, in the Middle East, in Asia we must eradicate, eliminate Daesh," he said. "It is a total and global war that we are facing with terrorism," he added. "The war we are conducting must also be total, global and ruthless." has told the BBC.
Responding to criticism of the measures, France have perfectly adapted the means to the threat
"This type of analysis always surprises me. Do you realise we have had 130 dead?" he said.
Valls also said France "could see attacks again", adding that six plots had been foiled over the past few months.
Meanwhile, President Francois Hollande is eager to enshrine the emergency measures under the constitution, a move that would see dual nationals stripped of their French nationality if found guilty of terrorist offences.
The group of UN experts this week expressed their concern that environmental activists had been kept under house arrest under the measures, which they said "do not seem to adjust to the fundamental principles of necessity and proportionality".
On Wednesday, France's leading human rights organisation called (in French) for the state of emergency to be suspended, calling it "a short-term measure only", adding that it was "highly intrusive towards personal freedoms".
(rnz)
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