Thought Police in France?

The “About-Picard” bill has now been passed by the French Senate on May 3rd and the National Assembly on May 30th. It is ironic that a bill sponsored by Republican Senator Nicolas About, a member of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly, bears more resemblance to the Chinese government’s 1999 law targeting Falun Gong and a host of Christian organizations than to anything enacted by a democratic government.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has assigned a Rapporteur to conduct an investigation into whether the bill meets European human rights standards. The bill sets a bad example to Europe and is likely to be used as a model by states emerging from totalitarian pasts.

An earlier version of the French bill, named after originators About and National Assembly member Catherine Picard, passed the National Assembly in June 2000, with only 18 members present. Subsequently, leaders of the Catholic, Protestant, Muslim and Jewish churches in France, as well as international human rights organizations in Europe and the United States, condemned the bill as a threat to religious freedom. The respected international Catholic charity, “Aid to the Church in Need (ACN)”, which is supported by the Vatican, has condemned the bill on the grounds that it will give the French government the power to “punish ideas.” In an interview with the Italian daily, Law Stampa, ACN’s Rome spokesperson, Attilio Tamburrini, exposed worldwide persecution of Christians, mostly in Islamic countries, but also in China, Cuba, India and France. According to Tamburrini, the French government is introducing a “secular humanist inquisition.”

The bill, its character and consequences are explained in the ensuing pages, under sub-headings as follows:

In Summary
Acts that Could Lead to Dissolution
Traditional Religious Activity Impeded
Private Organizations may Initiate Criminal Actions
Opposition to Law
The Causes
Council of Europe Investigation
Totalitarian Model
Next Step