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Muslim Staff Fight Paris Air Ban
Baggage handlers appeal against withdrawl of security clearance
Four Muslim workers at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport are appealling against a decision by local authorities to withdraw their security passes. The men claim the ban amounts to anti-Muslim discrimination - for its part, the local council argues the move was based on "an assessment of terror risk," rather than a move against their religion.
The BBC reports the men's lawyers claims that "dozens" of North African men have had their security clearance withdrawn in recent months, effectively depriving them of work in one of the Paris area's biggest employers.
The four were called for interview in August, and had their passes withdrawn soon afterwards, having "not shown that their behaviour was unlikely to violate airport security."
The local government officer Jacques Lebrot dismissed claims that the ban was related to religion, but added, "For us, someone who goes on holiday to Pakistan several times raises questions."
There have been long-standing concerns about the possibility of Islamist radicals infiltrating airport security in one of Paris' two major airports. Baggage handlers and ground staff are notoriously poorly paid and are often drawn from among the ranks of immigrants and their families in the Paris banlieu. In France, a large number of these immigrants are Muslims. While subject to security vetting, there is always a fear that applicants could be bribed, threatened or have well-concealed terror sympathies.
In 2003, baggage handler Abderazak Besseghir was framed by his in-laws, who planted weapons in his car and told police he was planning an attack. More recently, nationalist politician Philippe de Villiers published a book, Les Mosquées de Roissy alleging Islamists had already infiltrated airport security and were planning attacks. (Many French people call Charles de Gaulle airport Roissy).
