Counter-Terrorism in France

Abstract

The chapter charts France's extensive experience of counter-terrorism, including radical Islamic terrorism, prior to the Twin Tower attacks, before proceeding to an overview of post-9/11 domestic and European Union legislation. In relation to contagion, the chapter finds exceptional powers, accrued as part of the fight against terror, have been historically applied to drugs, weapons and 'organised crime' offences. More recently, this trend has been continued with the 'opportunistic' application of state of emergency search powers to drugs and weapons offences to form the majority of prosecutions resulting from the state of emergency measures.