French leader Francois Hollande has joined German chancellor Angela Merkel in a warning against racism in his New Year speech.
In a televised address on Wednesday (31 December) focused largely on the economy, Hollande spoke of defending French values in the face of new social devisions.
He spoke out against stigmatising any single religion and defended the ideals of secularism and the dignity of women.
"It's when France forgets its principles that it loses itself," he said....
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Nikolaj joined EUobserver in 2012 and covers home affairs. He is originally from Denmark, but spent much of his life in France and in Belgium. He was awarded the King Baudouin Foundation grant for investigative journalism in 2010.