French MP's passed controversial law against radicalism

French MPs on Tuesday passed a controversial law against separatism, which proposes to crack down on online hate speech and foreign funding of spiritual groups. It was approved with 347 votes in favor, 151 votes against, and 65 abstentions. The vote came after more than 55 hours of debate over the past two weeks resulting in the range of 144 amendments to the legislation's 70 articles.

Senators are scheduled to examine the bill, officially called the draft bill "reinforcing republican principles," on March 30.

It plans for homeschooling to be drastically decreased with authorities allowed to refuse mothers the right to teach their children at home. Currently, any mothers wishing to do so only need to inform the authorities.

The government has shown that homeschooling is being used as a shield by some folks who then send their children to hidden religious groups.

The legislation will also create a new crime with the act of distributing knowledge about someone's private, family, or professional life that makes those identifiable with the aim of endangering their lives to be condemned by three years in jail and a fine of up to €45,000.

This is meant to clamp down on online hate speech and comes in response to the beheading in October 2020 of Samuel Patty, a teacher who had shown cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad during a class on freedom of expression.

Oversight of religious groups would also be established by the bill, with foreign donations of more than €10,000 banned. Authorities would also be given the right to shut down any places of worship found to spread ideas or theories that could lead to bias against other groups.

Other types of connections that are found to not respect republican values could similarly be shut down.

Anyone who attempts to threaten a public service representative into granting an exemption or partial exemption of these rules based on religion is to be punished with five years in jail and a €75,000 fine.

France's cherished principle of laicité would also be preserved further with public servants and any entity representing the state obliged to ensure respect for the opinions of secularism and neutrality of the state.