The former president of France wants to crack down hard on terrorism by detaining suspected Islamic radicals without a trial and creating a special anti-terrorist court.
Nicholas Sarkozy, who now leads the opposition party Les Republicains, told the French newspaper Journal de Dimanche that police should start pre-emptively detaining anyone suspected of being connected to terrorism, after it became public that authorities keep a watchlist of 15,000 people thought to be radicalized Muslims. It was previously thought that 10,000 people were on the watchlist.
“Every Frenchman suspected of being linked to terrorism, because he regularly consults a jihadist website, or his behaviour shows signs of radicalization or because [he] is in close contact with radicalized people, must be pre-emptively placed in a detention center,” Sarkozy said.
Sarkozy has called for stronger anti-terrorism measures ever since last November’s attacks in Paris by Islamic State operatives. His comments stand in contrast to President Francois Hollande, who said earlier this week that France couldn’t bypass “the rule of law” in its fight against terrorism.
Sarkozy also told the Journal that France should create a special “anti-terrorist court” to handle assaults like the Paris attack and others over the last 18 months, which have caused the deaths of more than 230 people.
The former president, who served from 2007 to 2012, is hoping to run for president again next year. His party held a controversial meeting in June to discuss the influence of Islam in France. He’s also criticized the wearing of veils by Muslim women.
