News / France

French parliament extends state of emergency for 6 months

Wednesday, 20 July 2016 4:28 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 21 July 2016 3:24 AM ]

People form a human chain to collect flowers left in tribute at makeshift memorials to the victims of the truck attack to then place them along the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France, July 18, 2016. © Reuters

The French parliament has extended the country's state of emergency for another six months following last week's terrorist attack in Nice.

Lawmakers in the National Assembly, France’s lower house of parliament, voted in favor of the extension during the early hours of Wednesday following hours of heated debate.

The state of emergency has been in place since last November, when assailants struck at least six different venues in and around the capital, Paris, leaving 130 people dead and over 350 others injured. Daesh claimed responsibility for the horrendous assaults.

The state of emergency, which would remain in place until the end of January 2017, would allow the authorities to make house arrests without a court order, among other measures. In future, searches would also be possible without a warrant.

It is the fourth time that parliament has proposed prolonging the state of emergency, and the move now needs to be approved by the Senate.

President Francois Hollande had last Thursday announced a plan to lift the emergency measures, but changed tack hours later after a truck was driven through crowds of people at Bastille Day celebrations in Nice, killing 84 people and injuring more than 200 others.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls gestures as he speaks during a debate aiming at extending the country's state of emergency for a fourth time at the French National Assembly in Paris on July 19, 2016. © AFP

The motive for the attack is still being investigated, despite the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group claiming responsibility some 36 hours after the incident.

During a parliamentary session on Tuesday, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls warned of more terror attacks in the country urging the people to “learn to live with the threat”.

“Even if these words are hard to say, it's my duty to do so: There will be other attacks and there will be other innocent people killed,” said Valls.

“We must not become accustomed, but learn to live with this menace,” he added.

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