54 people arrested in France for hate speech

Since the Charlie Hebdo attacks, which left 17 people dead, France has stepped up its security measures, cracking down on those defending the acts of terror.

Fox News reports that 54 people in France have been detained for "verbally threatening terrorism," and/or for racist or anti-Semitic words or acts following the Charlie Hebdo incidents. While none of those arrested have been linked to the actual violence, the French Justice Ministry provided legal reasoning for rounding up the offenders, some of whom are minors. Since the Holocaust, France and many other European countries have observed strict anti-hate speech laws, which are particularly sensitive to anti-Semitism.

The French government has also tightened its security efforts in the wake of the terrorism, looking by next week to have new phone-tapping and other intelligence measures in place.

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