ATincrease the credits intended to secure places of worship, strengthen education in religious fact, promote dialogue on the ground… Two deputies make 11 proposals to fight against anti-religious acts. Isabelle Florennes (MoDem) and Ludovic Mendes (LREM), charged at the beginning of December by the Prime Minister with a parliamentary mission, will submit this report to him on Thursday March 17.
During the three months of work, the two parliamentarians conducted some 50 hearings (religious representatives, elected officials, State services, etc.) and made field visits to five major cities. In recent years, they have observed a “disturbing” plateau of anti-religious acts (fires, damage, theft, inscriptions, letters, threatening gestures or remarks, physical violence or even homicide). The Interior recorded a total of 1,659 anti-religious acts in 2021 (857 anti-Christian acts, 589 anti-Semitic acts and 213 anti-Muslim acts), 1,893 in 2019, or even 1,704 in 2018. Figures underestimated, in particular because reluctance to file a complaint, according to the authors of the report. The deputies also note “an intensification of violence” and “a multiplication of hate messages on social networks”.
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Promote secular education of the religious fact
In the short term, the parliamentary mission calls for continuing the effort to secure places of worship. In particular, the envelope dedicated to security, within the interministerial crime prevention fund, which was 5 million euros in 2021, could increase to 10 million euros next year and at least five years here. In the medium term, to promote spaces for dialogue in the territories, the report recommends that religions “structure themselves” better. And in particular that everyone appoints a “security” referent in each department, who will interface with State services. Another proposal: better support and inform victims throughout the legal process, from the filing of a complaint to the judgment.
In the long term: better educate about religion. According to the report, a change in school curricula would be useful to further integrate secular teaching of religious fact, a theme that would cross subjects (history, letters, arts, etc.) in a coherent way. Finally, an in-depth reflection is recommended” on the financing of the construction of new places of worship, according to the two parliamentarians who propose to lower the VAT on constructions.
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