French President Macron posters on Mumbai road amid extremism row? BJP asks MVA to explain

Amid widespre criticism of rical extremism that has claimed numerous lives in France and a heated debate over French President Macron formally linking it to Islam, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra on Friday shared a viral video that shows a ro plastered with posters of Macron, while vehicles zoom past over it. Patra claims that it is a ro in Mumbai and criticised  Maharashtra government for allowing such an incident to happen, despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi extending solidarity to France against terror attacks. He asked why French President, who has vowed to fight against terror, is being insulted in Mumbai?

RE | France Church Attack: UN Chief Antonio Guterres condemns 'heius' knife attack in Nice

RE | France Church Attack: UN Chief Antonio Guterres condemns 'heius' knife attack in Nice

Ar gruesome attack in France

On Thursday, a Tunisian man armed with a knife and allegedly carrying a copy of Quran attacked worshippers in a French church in  in Mediterranean city of Nice and killed three. This immediately prompted  government to raise its security alert to maximum level hours before a nationwide coronavirus lockdown. attacker was seriously wounded by police and hospitalised in life-threatening condition after killings. Video cameras recorded man entering Nice train station at 6:47 am, where he changed his shoes and turned his coat inside out before heing for church, some 400 meters (yards) away, just before 8:30 am. A knife with a 17-centimeter ble used in attack was found near him along with a bag containing ar two knives that were t used in attack.

attack was third in less than two months that French authorities have attributed to Muslim extremists, including beheing of a teacher who h shown caricatures of Prophet Muhamm in class after ims were re-published by satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, which was targeted in a 2015 terror attack killing 11 people and ravaging its staff.

French consulate in Saudi city of Jeddah was also targeted on Thursday; a man claiming allegiance to an anti-immigrant group was shot and killed by police in sourn French city of Avign, and scattered confrontations were reported elsewhere, but it is unclear wher y were linked to attack in Nice. France's national police chief h ordered increased security at churches and mosques earlier this week, but police appeared to be guarding Nice church when it was attacked, and Associated Press reporters claimed y saw visible security forces at multiple prominent religious sites in Paris. 

RE | 'India stands with France in fight against terrorism': PM Modi reacts to Nice attack

India stands with France

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to families of  victims and declared that India stands by France in fight against terrorism. Earlier, India h strongly deplored personal attacks against French President Macron following his tough stance on rical Islam, calling it a violation of most basic standards of international discourse. In a strongly-worded statement, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) h also condemned brutal terrorist attack that took life of a French teacher in a gruesome manner and asserted that re is justification for terrorism for any reason or under any circumstance.

RE | France Church Attack: Macron calls for unity, says country will t give in to terror