FRANCE: Proposed “Islamic Entryism” bill risks undermining freedom of association and local autonomy

The French Senate has passed a bill aiming at combatting “Islamic entryism”, including significant restrictions on freedom of association and local governance. The proposal expands the grounds for dissolving associations, broadens the use of the Republican Commitment Contract (CER), and extends asset freezes to individuals. A particularly contentious provision grants prefects and senior government officials the power to intervene in local decisions, allowing them to replace local authorities and cut funding if they consider an organisation non-compliant with the CER and “republican principles”. According to civil society, this not only infringes the right to associate but also violates France’s constitutional principle of local self-government.

However, since the law was proposed by individual members of the Senate rather than the government, it is unlikely that it will be passed by the National Assembly. The government is currently also drafting its own comprehensive legislation on “entryism and separatism,” which is expected to include many elements from this proposal and probably get more support than this proposal.

The proposal follows the scope and implementation of the so-called separatism bill in France, which came into force in 2022 and broadens the sanctioning powers afforded to administrative authorities in policing the activity of associations. The Separatism law and its CER have already disproportionately targeted minority rights and Muslim organisations.