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Legislation to tackle antisemitism gathers pace in France

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The French government has presented draft legislation which includes 40 measures aimed at tackling the dramatic rise of antisemitism in the country.

It intends to back the plan with 100 million Euros of funding, to be used to train teachers in fighting intolerance.

A special government unit could also be set-up to challenge antisemitism and racism on social media sites.

Taxpayers' money would also be used to fund hundreds of sports clubs in their efforts to monitor hate speech, with local authorities also forced to hire staff for similar roles.

The French parliament has yet to debate or vote on the bill which, if it became law, would turn racial and religious hatred into criminal offences.

It was proposed last week in response to the rise in racist incidents and intolerance in the country.

The government hopes that the tougher sanctions would act as a deterrent. Most of the money would go towards warning of the danger of intolerance.

The number of antisemitic attacks recorded in France last year was 851, twice as many as in 2013.

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