Thousands in Bangladesh protest French cartoons

DHAKA, BANGLADESH »

Around 10,000 people in Bangladesh rallied in the South Asian nation’s capital on Tuesday to protest France’s president and his staunch support of secular laws that deem caricatures depicting the Prophet Muhammad as protected under freedom of speech.

Protesters from the conservative Islami Andolon Bangladesh group, which supports the introduction of Islamic law in the Muslim-majority country, carried banners and placards reading: “All Muslims of the world, unite” and “Boycott France.”

It was the largest protest yet against the cartoons in recent days.