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Terror in Europe

"Deradicalization" Center For Islamic Extremists Comes To Quaint French Town

In the scenic Loire Valley southwest of Paris, a town was designated to accommodate the first center of "deradicalization" of Islamic extremists in France. Since then, the community in Indre-et-Loire has been consumed by anger and fear.

Protest against the deradicalization center in Beaumont-en-Veron
Protest against the deradicalization center in Beaumont-en-Veron
Delphine de Mallevoüe

BEAUMONT-EN-VERON — This French town of 2,900 tucked in a quaint corner of the Loire Valley, known for its sprawling castles, has become a center of anger and anxiety over the past few months. It was last March when French Prime Minister Manuel Valls announced that Beaumont-en-Véron would host the first "center of deradicalization" for those involved or linked with Islamic terrorist activities.

The first people to be brought to the new site arrived last week in Castle Pontourny. There were extra police officers on hand, but they were there to deal with upset locals. Michel Carrier, a retiree, has a house is in front of the Castle. "It's well-known, these residents are angels, there are no problems," he says, with bitter irony. "Everybody is very concerned about the security, and even more since the Nice terror attack."

A neighbor adds "We are told that the occupants will not not be registered as a national security risk (fiche "S") with French authorities — but the perpetrator of Nice terror attack wasn't registered either, it's just too frightening."

A "reckless" choice

Opponents, who came with banners saying "Deradicalization = smoke and mirrors" or "No external security guarantee for residents" have organized into an association Radicalement Digne de Pontourny, which counts about 100 members, and has already gathered some 700 signatures.

For Christian Matron, another Beaumont-en-Véron resident, the objective of the association is tomonitor this choice which he thinks was made "too quickly."

"It's even more a reckless choice given the fact that it is experimental and hardly anyone is able to provide sufficient guarantees or results. Half of the experts are against this idea and the other half support it," Matron says. "We don't know where this will wind up. There is nobody here who would disagree with the idea that we need to test solutions, but to experiment with so much improvisation, when the stakes and the risks are so high, it's just irresponsible."

Asto the argument in response to the mayor of Beaumont-en-Véron, Bernard Château, saying that "zero risk does not exist," Matron calls it "head-in-the-sand policy."

Beyondfears around security, residents are worried about the devaluation of their homes and the attractiveness of the area for the tourists. Some locals have already installed new safety systems for their homes, and want video surveillance to be expanded in the city.

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LGBTQ Plus

My Wife, My Boyfriend — And Grandkids: A Careful Coming Out For China's Gay Seniors

A series of interviews in Wuhan with aging gay men — all currently or formerly married to women — reveals a hidden story of how Chinese LGBTQ culture is gradually emerging from the shadows.

Image of two senior men playing chinese Checkers.

A friendly game of Checkers in Dongcheng, Beijing, China.

Wang Er

WUHAN — " What do you think of that guy sitting there, across from us? He's good looking."

" Then you should go and talk to him."

“ Too bad that I am old..."

Grandpa Shen was born in 1933. He says that for the past 40 years, he's been "repackaged," a Chinese expression for having come out as gay. Before his wife died when he was 50, Grandpa Shen says he was was a "standard" straight Chinese man. After serving in the army, he began working in a factory, and dated many women and evenutually got married.

"Becoming gay is nothing special, I found it very natural." Grandpa Shen says he discovered his homosexuality at the Martyrs' Square in Wuhan, a well-known gay men's gathering place.

✉️ You can receive our LGBTQ+ International roundup every week directly in your inbox. Subscribe here.

Wuhan used to have different such ways for LGBTQ+ to meet: newspaper columns, riversides, public toilets, bridges and baths to name but a few. With urbanization, many of these locations have disappeared. The transformation of Martyrs' Square into a park has gradually become a place frequented by middle-aged and older gay people in Wuhan, where they play cards and chat and make friends. There are also "comrades" (Chinese slang for gay) from outside the city who come to visit.

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