A French mayor has been suspended from his party after calling for the country to ban Islam.
Robert Chardon, the UMP mayor of Venelles in southern France, tweeted: “The Muslim religion must be banned in France” and added that anyone practising the religion must be “immediately escorted to the border”.
He also claimed Islam will be banned in France by 2027.
The tweet was part of a discussion former president Nicolas Sarkozy began with the public, using the hashtag #NSDirect.
Sarkozy, who is leader of the UMP party and is likely to run for president again in 2017, immediately distanced himself from the comments, writing: “I condemn this proposal even if secularism also means fixing limits. Rights and limits go together.”
UMP Vice-president Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet announced the party was suspending Mr Chardon pending a procedure to remove him from the UMP.
Robert Chardon, mayor of Venelles, a town in the south of France, sending out tweets with his message that Islam and Muslims should be outlawed in France.
Robert tweeted: “We must ban the Muslim faith in France.”
Since Thursday, Robert has been sending out various tweets with the anti-Muslim message.
He is self-assured that the religion will be banned in October 2027.“On October 18, 2027, the cult of Islam will be outlawed in France,” says another.
“We also need a Marshall Plan to send Muslims to countries where the religion is practiced, he said in his tweets.
He is also a representative of former French president Nicholas Sarkozy’s Union for a Popular Movement and the vice president of an organization of the province’s municipalities.
He sent the tweets to the former French president and current leader of the center-Right UMP opposition party, Nicolas Sarkozy, and said that he expected a reply.
France has an estimated five million Muslims.
Under present French law, expressing sentiments that offend Muslims and Islam is against the law and Robert Chardon could be liable for criminal prosecution for making these remarks.