Books preaching violent jihad and urging Muslims to set up arms factories are reportedly on sale openly in French supermarkets and bookshops, sparking thousands of complaints and fresh debate over the limits of free speech.
Publishers have defended the works, claiming only a few pages are contentious, while authorities say it would be difficult to ban them.
They can be found on the shelves of supermarkets including Carrefour, one of the world’s biggest retail chains, and Fnac, France’s largest retailer of books, music, DVDs and electronic goods. Some of the works are also available from the website of the online retailer Amazon.
According to Le Figaro newspaper, two petitions demanding they be withdrawn from sale, signed by more than 18,000 people, have been ignored by Carrefour.
“It is not up to the distributor to take a view on the shocking nature of publications,” a representative of the group’s press department said, adding the books “have never been banned”. » | David Chazan in Paris | Tuesday, July 29, 2014
