Charlie Hebdo, which believes that secularism is "attacked," launched Wednesday a call for candidates in the Presidential Election, in which the satirical weekly asks them to formally undertake not to amend the 1905 law. "The idea is to bring secularism back to the center of the debate because it is not just a tool, it is first a political principle that is enshrined in the Constitution," he explained Tuesday to a source the editor of the newspaper, Gerard Biard.
Charlie Hebdo will remain a supporter of secularism
"If nothing changes, Marine Le Pen will be the only candidate to speak openly about secularism, which poses serious problems because her party has well-known links with fundamentalist Catholics and she proposes to offer new facilities for teaching Private non-contractual, which is mostly religious," regrets Mr.
Biard. "Charlie Hebdo has always been and will remain a fervent supporter of secularism and the values attached to it, and we consider it to be one of the pillars of republican unity," he added.
Demands of the magazine
Charlie asks the candidates to "make a clear commitment" on three points: "do not modify, in any way, the law of December 9, 1905 on secularism," "never introduce into legislation, in whatever form, that is to say, special arrangements with regard to a religious community", "never introduce, in any way, a crime of blasphemy into the law".
Secularism as a political principle
"We have a legitimacy to ask such questions because if what happened on January 7, 2015, it happened because the fundamental question has been dropped for too long of secularism as a political principle," said Gerard Biard, referring to the attack at the headquarters of the newspaper which claimed the lives of 12 people.
The appeal, published on the central double page, will be accompanied by illustrations of articles of the law of 1905. "These articles show that this law has left nothing to chance, it borders very precisely what a Religious power in public space," says Biard.
