Early on Tuesday morning, a police raid took place at the Elsau mosque at 101 rue de l’Unterelsau in Strasbourg, authorised by a judge of the Strasbourg magistrate’s court who is in charge of detention matters.
The association Citoyen de l’Elsau (Ciel), which is said to be responsible for cultural activities on the site, is in the prefecture’s crosshairs. It is accused of making “separatist” statements. It is therefore threatened with closure, like 75 other Muslim places of worship pointed out by the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, at the end of 2020.
Former MP and departmental councillor Eric Elkouby (PS) also reacted to the raid on the premises of the Elsau mosque, but in a very different sense. He denounced “this association […] known to the state for its communitarianism and its affiliation to the Salafist and Islamist movement, but [which] has the audacity to constantly claim to be the victim of harassment”. He “officially requests the Mayor of Strasbourg to take a clear and unequivocal stand on this particular issue, as she is responsible for peaceful coexistence and tolerance in her municipality”.
The association has called for a protest against Islamophobia and for respect for all religions on Saturday October 16 at 3pm on Place Broglie in Strasbourg.DNA