It is a bit like the return match of the debates on the law “consolidating the principles of the Republic”, in 2021, that the deputies Les Républicains (LR) and those of the majority played, Wednesday, February 9, at the National Assembly. The subject of the bitter discussion between the proponents of a secularism that calls itself “open” and those of a stricter secularism, erected as a standard of the fight against Islamism: an amendment to the sports law proposal to ban the wearing of religious signs in sports competitions.
At the end of this parliament, this is a subject that many did not think they would see coming back to Parliament. After the promulgation of the law on the principles of the Republic (called “separatism”) in August 2021, the majority had promised not to reopen the subject of religious neutrality, very divisive, even in its ranks. This was without counting the LR party, which had a majority in the Senate and was the first opposition group in the National Assembly. After a first reading without a hitch of the text of the group La République en marche (LRM) on the “democratization of sport” in March 2021 at the Palais-Bourbon, the senate right voted on January 19, against the advice of the government, an amendment on religious signs, with, in line of sight, the veil.
This point led to the tensions of the majority and resulted in a disagreement between senators and deputies in the joint joint committee (JMC), on January 31. Since then, the debate has highlighted in particular “The Hijabeuses”, a collective of female footballers who campaign for the right to wear the veil in sports competitions. The president of the LR group in the Senate, Bruno Retailleau, denounces the “compromise” Emmanuel Macron and his majority with “radical Islamism”.
“The Hijabs are testing us”
A speech taken up by the twenty LR deputies present on Wednesday for the new reading of the bill. In front of a sparse hemicycle, the deputy LR of Alpes-Maritimes Eric Ciotti blasted the record of the Head of State in the field of the fight against Islamism, defending a motion of rejection prior to the text, finally rejected. “Islamism is spreading in prayer rooms, in mosques, in homes and today in clubs and sports federations”, he assured.
In his ten-minute speech, Mr. Ciotti, who had not taken part in the previous discussions on the bill, denounced in turn « ambiguity », « cowardice », there “total convergence of views between the majority and France insoumise”, and “submission to the Islamists” macronistic elected officials, eliciting boos in return. “Zemmour, get out of this body! », the deputy LRM of Saône-et-Loire Rémy Rebeyrotte exclaimed, before being called to order by the president of the session, Annie Genevard (LR, Doubs). « Shame », retorted the chairman of the LRM group to the Assembly, Christophe Castaner. The Secretary of State for priority education, Nathalie Elimas, had tried to dissuade the LR opposition a few minutes earlier : “Attempts to instrumentalize this law, to revive debates on neutrality in sport, and in the public sphere, are harmful. »
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