France closes de-radicalising centre that fell into disuse

FRANCE’S first jihadist de-radicalisation centre is to close after less than a year, the government said yesterday.

The centre in Pontourny, western France, was aimed at convincing radicalised 18 to 30-year-olds to turn their back on extremism.

But Gerard Collomb, the interior minister, said the experiment “has not been conclusive”.

He said: “The experiment of this centre, which operates on a voluntary basis, has shown its limitations. The government has therefore decided to end the experiment.”

The centre can accommodate 25 people, but has never had more than nine residents, none of whom completed the de-radicalisation programme. The centre has been empty since February.

Mr Collomb said the government would look at ways of developing alternative de-radicalisation programmes.

The centre in Pontourny had been criticised by locals alarmed that those at the centre could come and go freely in the town.

A Senate report published on July 12 was heavily critical of France’s de-radicalisation strategy and called for the centre to be closed.

France has been a consistent target for jihadists since 2015, with more than 230 people killed in attacks.

The deadliest was a series of shootings and suicide bombings targeting bars, a concert hall and the Stade de France national stadium in Paris in November 2015 which left 130 people dead.