The government is “totally mobilized” to enforce secularism in sport, said Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Tuesday, without however commenting on a possible law on this subject, as demanded by the right and the far right.
Elisabeth Borne spoke after the public rapporteur had defended before the Council of State the possibility, for footballers, to wear the hijab on the ground. “I am totally mobilized with the Minister of Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castéra for the strict respect of our republican principles in sport, in particular secularism and the neutrality of public service”, declared the Prime Minister before the National Assembly, during government question time.
A government mobilized against “forms of proselytism and radicalization”
Right and extreme right have strongly criticized this hypothesis of an authorization to wear the hijab on football fields, and called for legislation if necessary. “We are going to strengthen controls at the start of the school year” and “we will not hesitate to close clubs which promote a radical or separatist ideology”, affirmed Elisabeth Borne.
In addition, the Minister of Sports “will sign partnerships with the federations in the coming weeks to strengthen the training of referents (on the) fight against separatism and attacks on secularism”, she added. The head of government assured that the government was “mobilized to fight against all forms of proselytism and radicalization”.
“And with the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin and the Minister of Sports, we are on the front line to fight all forms of separatism in the clubs”, said Elisabeth Borne, specifying that 3,500 clubs had been checked in 2022. , “of which around thirty have given rise to measures to put an end to separatist excesses”.