India ‘strongly deplores’ criticism against French president Emmanuel Macron over stand on radical Islam, says MEA

File image of Emmanuel Macron. AP

New Delhi: India on Wednesday strongly deplored the personal attacks against French president Emmanuel Macron following his tough stance on radical Islam, calling it a violation of the most basic standards of international discourse.

In a strongly-worded statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also condemned the brutal terrorist attack that took the life of a French teacher in a gruesome manner and asserted that there is no justification for terrorism for any reason or under any circumstance.

“We strongly deplore the personal attacks in unacceptable language on President Emmanuel Macron in violation of the most basic standards of international discourse,” the MEA said.

“We also condemn the brutal terrorist attack that took the life of a French teacher in a gruesome manner that has shocked the world. We offer our condolences to his family and the people of France,” it said.

Following the MEA statement, French Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain thanked India saying both countries can count on each other in the fight against terrorism.

“Thank you @MEAIndia. France and India can always count on each other in the fight against terrorism,” he tweeted.

Macron has been facing criticism from various Muslim-majority countries after he took a tough stand on radical Islam and defended cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. The French President said that Islam was a religion in crisis.

His comments came in the backdrop of the beheading of French teacher Samuel Paty on 16 October outside Paris in broad daylight. He had shown caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad to his students.