The jihadist group Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) on Monday, November 2 called on its supporters to kill anyone insulting the Prophet Muhammad and threatened to take revenge on French President Emmanuel Macron, who has defended the right to caricature.
Read also: Caricatures: France, target of worrying threats in Afghanistan
"
Killing the one who insults the prophet is the right of every Muslim capable of applying it,
" the Aqmi group wrote in a statement, in reaction to President Macron's statements during the ceremony to pay homage to French teacher Samuel Paty , beheaded on October 16 in an Islamist attack for showing caricatures of the prophet in progress.
Macron asserted that France, in the name of freedom of expression, would not renounce the cartoons, triggering a flood of criticism in the Muslim world and calls for a boycott.
Tens of thousands of people have demonstrated in recent days against France in several Muslim countries, including 50,000 on Monday in Bangladesh, some protesters burning effigies of President Macron and French flags.
"
The boycott is a duty, but it is not enough
", wrote Aqmi, calling for "
revenge
" and presenting as a "
martyr
" the young radicalized Chechen who killed Samuel Paty.
SEE ALSO
- Caricatures: the rector of the Great Mosque of Paris condemns boycotts and calls for "a return to calm"
