Bangladesh will remain neutral on the France issue
Bangla Tribune Report
Published: 19:30, October 26, 2020 | Last updated: 20:05, October 28, 2020
Bangladesh will not take any side in the ongoing unrest surrounding France. French President Emmanuel Macron's remarks on religion will not be condemned by the government and the ongoing anti-French rallies will be tolerated,
foreign ministry sources said.
A Foreign Ministry official said on Wednesday (October 26th): "Security has been beefed up at the French Embassy, Allianz Francis and the French International School in Bangladesh. The security of French nationals in the country has also been strengthened.
"Everyone has the right to freedom of expression," he said. As long as the assembly is peaceful, the government will not take any action in this regard.
Meanwhile, scholars in Bangladesh have continued to protest against the hurt of religious sentiments through 'state-sponsored' caricatures' in France. Scholars and students of Qawmi Madrasa and various religious organizations staged protests in several places in the capital Dhaka on Wednesday. The effigy of French President Macron was cremated in the Baitul Mukarram area. However, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen was not immediately available for comment.
Various people from Bangladesh are posting anti-France videos on YouTube. These have been brought to the notice of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the ambassadors of various European countries. Asked about this, another official said, "If any action is to be taken against them, it has to be taken through the Digital Security Act." But European countries have objections to the Digital Security Act.
"We see the issue as freedom of expression and taking any action is not a priority for us," he added.
France, meanwhile, has advised its citizens to exercise caution in several other countries, including Bangladesh. Many other Muslim countries, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia, have condemned the incident and called for a boycott of French products in response to the president's statement that "France will not stop showing caricatures.
ফ্রান্সকে ঘিরে চলমান অস্থিরতায় কোনও পক্ষ নেবে না বাংলাদেশ। ফ্রান্সের প্রেসিডেন্ট ইমানুয়েল ম্যাক্রোঁর ধর্ম নিয়ে মন্তব্যকে নিন্দা জানাবে না সরকার এবং অন্যদিকে চলমান ফ্রান্সবিরোধী সমাবেশ নিয়ে সহিষ্ণু আচরণ প্রদর্শন করা হবে বলে পররাষ্ট্র মন্ত্রণালয় সূত্রে জানা গেছে। বুধবার (২৮ অক্টোবর) এ...
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