Administrative justice, seized urgently, authorized Friday April 3 the holding of a Muslim congress near Paris, considering that the disturbances invoked by the authorities to prohibit it were not “Pas establis”.
Le juge des référésa estimated that «les troubles à l’ordre public invoqués » by the police chief to ban the annual gathering of Muslims of France, scheduled from Friday to Monday at the Bourget exhibition center (Seine-Saint-Denis), “Were not established by the elements placed in the file”according to the press release from the Paris administrative court.
In his banning order, suspended by the courts, the police chief pointed out that this event “Intervenes in a particularly tense international and national context” and that he is “Exposé à un important risque terrorist à l’égard de la communauté musulmane ”.
Absence of incidents during previous editions
The Paris administrative court considers, however, that the elements presented by the prefect did not support a possible risk “counter-rallies, nor that the organized gathering would be specifically targeted by organizations belonging to the ultra-right movement”.
The judge also notes the absence of incidents demonstrated during previous editions, “which were also held at the Bourget exhibition center in tense contexts, particularly after the Paris attacks in 2015â€.
“He also considered that it was not sufficiently established that the political and social context prevailing in the Paris region during the duration of the gathering would require an exceptional mobilization of police resources.”according to the court press release.
“Victory for the law”
“This is a victory for the rule of law and justice.”reacted the lawyer of Muslims of France, Sefen Guez Guez, who welcomed « a decision of appeasement » allowing the gathering to take place. “We are satisfied, the political considerations which dictated this ban did not mislead the court which considered that the decision was illegal.”he added.
The 40th edition should mark the great return of the Congress of Le Bourget after six years of absence, due in particular to Covid and the difficulties encountered by Muslims of France, the federation of Muslim associations which succeeded the Union of Islamic Organizations of France in 2017 (UOIF).
The Le Bourget Congress had, according to the organizers, attracted up to 170,000 people for its 2013 edition, before seeing its attendance decline.
The representative of the police headquarters argued during the hearing that the event had generated 1,700 reservations and that 4,000 additional people were expected per day. He specified that in the event of suspension, the police headquarters would bring the matter before the Council of State.
It is planned against a backdrop of concerns among the Muslim community, numbering five to six million people, and which has seen anti-Muslim acts jump by 88% in 2025. It also comes after a much-criticised report on political Islamism where Muslims of France are presented as “La branche nationale” of the Muslim Brotherhood in France, which they regularly contest.
