SoylentNews

takyon writes:

France is seeking an extension of the state of emergency imposed after the Nov. 2015 Paris terrorist attacks until at least May 2017:

The French government will ask parliament for a second extension to the state of emergency imposed in the wake of the November 2015 attacks in Paris, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Tuesday. Speaking to lawmakers, Valls said France's upcoming elections and its backing for the Western coalition fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria meant that the threat of further atrocities could not be ignored.

Is French freedom gone for good (or bad)?

Some fear that France itself is adrift, its government unable to defeat the amorphous extremist enemy even as authorities encroach on liberties the French hold dear. While French warplanes are targeting ISIS strongholds in Iraq and Syria, the state of emergency at home allows broadened police powers to search homes and monitor communications. But it could not prevent further attacks on France over the past year, including a truck rampage in Nice by a man claiming allegiance to ISIS. "Yes, terrorism will strike us again," Prime Minister Manuel Valls warned this weekend.

The International Federation for Human Rights warned in a recent report: "France is now in a situation where an 'exceptional' regime is becoming permanent, in the name of combating terrorism. But there is little evidence that this approach is working and it comes at a cost to fundamental rights."

Also at BBC and RT. Here is an older article about the state of emergency.

Original Submission