French MPs to vote on controversial ‘anti-separatism’ bill

France’s National Assembly is expected to pass the contentious legislation and send it to the Senate.

After weeks of debate, France’s lower house of parliament will vote on a so-called “anti-separatism” bill brought forward by President Emmanuel Macron’s government. Proponents say the controversial legislation is needed to tackle what they term “Islamist separatism” and bolster France’s secular system, but critics, including prominent human rights groups, argue it breaches religious freedom and unfairly targets the country’s 5.7 million-strong Muslim minority population. French legislators are expected to approve the bill during the afternoon vote on Tuesday in the National Assembly, which is dominated by Macron’s centrist La Republique En Marche (LREM) party.