State of Emergency in France Indicates 'Country Has Less Freedom Than Before'

The extension of a state of emergency in France is a counterproductive measure by the government, said Pascal Duran, a member of the European Parliament from the French political party "Europe Ecology – The Greens."

Last week, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said that the state of emergency introduced across France after the November 2015 terrorist attacks may be prolonged.

The state of emergency was introduced as the initiative of the President Francois Hollande and has been extended three times since then. The latest six-month extension began on July 26.

"We’re seeing that police forces are no longer capable of dealing with the situation. The military is helping the police, but it cannot figure out what is happening. It seems this plan is poorly elaborated. And this fact is not reassuring," Duran said in an interview with Sputnik France.

He also underscored that despite the fact that the November attacks were a shock for the entire nation, there are questions on whether the state of emergency is still legitimate.

"My concern is that the government is hiding behind this move, neglecting the actual scope of the crisis. This situation [with terrorism] requires much time and hard work to be resolved. In fact, there is a lack of human and financial resources," the lawmaker pointed out.

At the same time, Duran underscored that the state of emergency is unlikely to have an impact on the upcoming electoral campaign in France.

The French presidential election is scheduled for April and May 2017.

"This is not a dictatorship. Some people say the state of emergency is the end of our freedom. I can’t agree. But some hidden changes are really taking place now. Now, we consider it normal that everyone is on databases and there are permanent checks and surveillance. So, the country has less freedom now than before," Duran said.

Hollande’s decision to introduce a state of emergency after the terrorist attacks was "absolutely useless," said Gaetan Dussausaye, director of the National Front of the Youth.

The organization is the youth wing of the far-right National Front political movement.

"Salafi mosques are still open across the countries and radical imams continue to propagate hate in France. In fact, the state of emergency has only decreased the number of personal and democratic liberties," Dussausaye told Sputnik France.

He also suggested that the prolongation of the state of emergency will have a negative effect on the electoral campaign.

"Candidates usually organize meetings and demonstrations. Unfortunately, when there is a state of emergency the authorities can ban certain demonstrations thus affecting the campaign of certain candidates. This cannot be good for a democratic election," he concluded.