November 1, 2020

KARACHI (AP) — Hundreds of protesters in Pakistan on Sunday burned effigies of France’s leader and chanted anti-French slogans, as President Emmanuel Macron tried to send a message of understanding to Muslims around the world.

Smaller demonstrations in Lebanon, Turkey and India followed on anti-France protests across the Muslim world last week that were mostly led by Islamist groups.

The renewed protests came after President Macron’s interview late Saturday in which he said that he understood the shock Muslims felt at caricatures depicting the Prophet Muhammad. Macron was speaking with the Qatar-based Arabic TV station Al-Jazeera, where he also defended freedoms of expression and France’s secular values.

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