Thousands rally in Somaliland calling for boycott of French goods

By: Hassan Jama, horndiplomat contributor

Thousands of protesters have marched through Somaliland’s second capital Buroa, calling for a boycott of French products as anger over President Emmanuel Macron’s defence of cartoons depicting Prophet Muhammad mounts in the Muslim world.

the protesters burned the French flag, chanted “Boycott French products” and called for Macron to be punished.

” We decided to stop all french goods and we call all Somali businessmen to boycott French products,” said Hassan Jama one of the  burco traders

“We call all Muslim leaders to speak up like president Erdogan and to stand their religion,” said Ahmed Mohamed

Earlier this month, French President Macron accused French Muslims of “separatism,” and described Islam as an “a religion in crisis.”

Tensions further escalated with the murder of a French teacher who showed caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad to his pupils. Macron paid tribute to him, and said France would “not give up our cartoons.”

Pakistan, Turkey, Bangladesh and Iran are among the Muslim countries to condemn France for the publication of the caricatures, and Macron’s response.

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