France to strip refugees of rights for crimes

PARIS: France’s interior minister said on Friday that refugees and foreigners convicted of public order offences or flagged as extremists would have their residency permits withdrawn and face expulsion.

"For the first time, we’ve asked OFPRA (France’s refugee agency) to withdraw asylum protection for anyone found to be going against the values of the republic," Gerald Darmanin told Le Figaro newspaper in an interview published on Friday.

The minister, a right-winger known for his tough line on crime and immigration, told AFP he would "focus on removing protection for those who have committed reprehensible acts linked to radicalisation or public order."

The policy is the latest sign of the new focus on immigration, security and Islamism by the government of President Emmanuel Macron one year before presidential and parliamentary elections. Experts expect those issues to shape a contest in which far-right leader Marine Le Pen is Macron’s closest rival, according to recent polls.