Macron's Posters Pasted On Busy Mumbai Road As Anti-France Sentiment Grows In Parts Of World

Posters of French President Emmanuel Macron were found pasted on a busy road in south Mumbai and were later removed by the police, an official said today.

Pedestrians and motorists in the Bhendi Bazaar area spotted hundreds of posters of President Macron, who is facing criticism from Muslim countries over a cartoon row in France, pasted on the Mohammed Ali Road under JJ flyover on Thursday evening, the official said.

This comes a day after India expressed solidarity with France after a teacher was beheaded and massive protests raged against President Emanuel Macron.

Videos of people walking, cars driving on the poster-laden road have been doing the rounds on social media. Reports said the Raza Academy, a Muslim organisation, was behind the protest.

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¡ª Shalabh Mani Tripathi (@shalabhmani) October 29, 2020

India's stand

Issuing an official statement condemning the killing of a French teacher and personal attacks on Macron, the ministry of external affairs said, ¡°We strongly deplore the personal attacks in unacceptable language on President Emmanuel Macron in violation of the most basic standards of international discourse.¡±

¡°We also condemn the brutal terrorist attack that took the life of a French teacher in a gruesome manner that has shocked the world. There is no justification for terrorism for any reason or under any circumstance,¡± it said.

Reuters

Anti-France protests

Not just Mumbai, massive protests against the French government and Macron raged across the world. The protesters alleged that Macron is cornering Muslims, and promoting 'Islamist separatism' launching crackdown on Islam in France. Thousands of angry Muslims protested against Macron at the historic Iqbal Maidan in Bhopal on Thursday. Police even booked around 200 people, including Congress MLA Arif Masood.

AFP

Protest marches were held at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) against President Macron over his remarks on Islam and extremism amid recurring terror incidents and attacks in the European nation. Students shouted slogans against Macron while holding banners and called for a boycott of French products.

On Wednesday, protesters staged a demonstration near the French consulate in Pakistan's Karachi city. The protesters even set fire to Macron's effigy in response to France's refusal to condemn the publication of caricatures insulting Prophet Muhammed.

Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Mali, Bangladesh are among other countries which organised huge protests against the French president.

AFP

"Terror" attacks

On Thursday, another shocking incident took place in France's Nice where a woman was beheaded and two other people were killed in a suspected terrorist attack.

AFP

Earlier, on October 16, Samuel Paty, a French teacher, was beheaded for allegedly showing cartoon of the Prophet Muhammed in his class. Taking part in the mourning ceremony, Macron said France will not give up cartoons which led to a divide among world leaders as Pakistan, Turkey have strongly denounced Macron. Following which, massive unrest pushed France to the edge with many protests been organised against Macron across the world.