Hollande to unveil tough anti-terror measures
January 7, 2016
Francois Hollande was due to address security forces at Paris police headquarters on Thursday as France holds official ceremonies marking the first anniversary of the Islamist terror attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
Reeling in the aftermath of the terror attacks on Paris in November that killed 130 people, France has struck a defiant tone. The country remains under a state of emergency and has increased military action against the "Islamic State" in Syria and Iraq, while dismantling terror cells across France.
Hollande is expected to provide details of plans to strengthen laws against organized crime and terrorism. Among the plans are what could be controversial measures to give police more flexible rules of engagement and stronger stop-and-search powers.
The January 7 shootings at the offices of the French satirical magazine left 12 dead, including members of the editorial team, before setting off three days of terror that included an attack on a Jewish market.
The attack on the magazine drew the world to rally around defense of freedom of expression, but moves to battle terrorism that have followed have also prompted concerns over the balance between civil rights and freedoms on one side and security on the other.
cw/se (AFP, dpa)