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French police criticised for detaining boy (8) over Charlie Hebdo comments

French police have been criticised for detaining a boy (8) who said he supports the attack on Cha...
Newstalk
Newstalk

11.05 30 Jan 2015


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French police criticised for d...

French police criticised for detaining boy (8) over Charlie Hebdo comments

Newstalk
Newstalk

11.05 30 Jan 2015


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French police have been criticised for detaining a boy (8) who said he supports the attack on Charlie Hebdo.

Dozens of people have been arrested and accused of defending terrorism since the attacks and some have been sentenced to jail.

The boy was detained in the southern city of Nice, after he made comments in school suggesting he supported the terrorists.

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He allegedly said: "I am not Charlie. I am with the terrorists."

On January 8th, the day after the attack on Charlie Hebdo, the boy refused to take part in a nationwide two-minute silence for the victims.

The French Education Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem said the school reacted correctly by drawing his behaviour to the attention of authorities.

The child was questioned for 30 minutes by police. He was then allowed to play with toys while his father answered police questions.

His father reportedly condemned what the boy was reported to have said - but made a formal complaint about the decision to interrogate his son.

John Lichfield is Paris correspondent with the London Independent.

He told the Pat Kenny Show here on Newstalk the authorities in France have denied he was arrested - and said it was the boy's father who was the main focus of the inquiry.


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