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French Muslim union sues nation’s biggest literary star Houellebecq

The Union of Mosques in France is suing the controversial French novelist Michel Houellebecq for discrimination, hate speech and inciting violence in remarks to an interviewer, the organisation told AFP on Friday.

Published: 14 January 2023 10:33 CET

French writer Michel Houellebecq performs in

French writer Michel Houellebecq performs in "Existence a Basse Altitude", a creation around a collection of his poems at the Printemps de Bourges festival in April 2022. The French Muslim union is suing the controversial author for discrimination in remarks to an interviewer. Photo: GUILLAUME SOUVANT / AFP

Houellebecq, whose books sell in big numbers, penned the international headline-grabbing 2015 novel “Submission” about a Muslim winning the presidency, which taps into right-wing fears over the rise of Islam.

He is accused of telling an interviewer for the “Front Populaire” publication that Muslims in France should “stop stealing and being aggressive” to “ethnic” French people.

The passages suggest there could be violence towards French Muslims, which he dubbed “reverse Bataclans”, a reference to the 2015 attacks on the Bataclan concert hall by French and Belgian-born jihadists with links to the Islamic State group.

Houellebecq has said the controversial sections would be edited out of the interview online, and in a forthcoming book in which the remarks will feature.

Mohammed Moussaoui, president of the union, said in a statement “his proposal to replace them in a forthcoming book does not put an end to their dissemination and does not protect Muslims from their consequences”.

Stephane Simon, a contributor to “Front Populaire”, and the interviewer, philosopher Michel Onfray, are also named in the lawsuit, lawyer Najwa El Haite told AFP.

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Keep-fit in the Louvre: Museum offers Olympic sessions among masterpieces

The world’s biggest museum is to offer visitors the chance to take part in dance, yoga and work-out sessions while gazing upon its world-renowned paintings and sculptures.

The announcement was one of several on Tuesday aimed at whipping up Olympic enthusiasm ahead of the start of the Games in Paris on July 26th.

“The Louvre is physically in the centre of Paris. It will be physically at the centre of the Olympic Games,” museum chief Laurence des Cars told reporters.

Details of the special sessions and the museum’s new Olympics-themed exhibition are available on its website.

The opening ceremony is set to take place on the river Seine which runs past the Louvre. A temporary stadium to host the skateboarding and breakdancing is being built on the nearby Place de la Concorde. The Olympic flame is also set to burn in the neighbouring Tuileries gardens, a security source told AFP.

Four other art destinations, including the Musee d’Orsay, the home of impressionist masterpieces, are also set to put on Olympic-related sports or cultural activities.

Paris City Hall unveiled plans for public sports facilities, concerts and open-air fan areas around the City of the Light for the duration of the Olympics and Paralympics.

A total of 26 fanzones will be created around the capital, in addition to two special celebration areas in central and northeastern Paris, where medal winners will be encouraged to greet the public.

“For the first time in the history of the Games, the host city is aiming to create a people’s Games where Olympic enthusiasm can be shared at both the event sites but also outside of the stadiums, in the heart of the city, in each district,” the mayor’s office said in a statement.

A new Olympic transport mobile phone application was also made available for the first time on Tuesday by the regional transport authority.

Visitors to Paris will be encouraged to use the “Transport public Paris 2024” app, which will guide them to Olympic destinations using real-time information on traffic and user numbers.

The developers said that suggested routes would not necessarily be, “the shortest or the quickest”, but would be the most suitable and ensure that travellers have a choice of different transport options.

Overcrowding on the Paris underground train network is a particular concern ahead of the Games, while local politicians have urged Parisians to walk or use bikes.

The first Olympics in Paris in 100 years are set to take place from July 26th to August 11th followed by the Paralympics from August 28th to September 8th.

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