Protesters in Dhaka Call for French Boycott in Response to Macron Defence of Muhammad Caricatures

Thousands of protesters marched towards the French Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on October 27 after French President Emmanuel Macron said “we will not give up cartoons” of the Prophet Muhammad.

Macron’s comments came after a Samuel Paty, a teacher, was beheaded in Paris. Paty was targeted after showing caricatures of Muhammad to his students.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said on October 25 that Macron had “attacked Islam” when he backed the cartoons. Islam regards any depiction of Muhammad as blasphemous.

Amid global calls for a boycott of French products, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “The boycott calls are pointless and must end immediately, as well as all the attacks directed against our country, instrumentalized by a radical minority.”

This footage shows the march towards the French Embassy in Dhaka. Local media said the demonstrators were from Islami Andolan Bangladesh, an Islamic political party in the country. Credit: Islami Andolan Bangladesh via Storyful