DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A court in southeastern Bangladesh on Tuesday rescheduled a bail hearing for a jailed prominent Hindu leader who led large rallies in the Muslim-majority country demanding better security for minority groups.
It comes as tensions spiked following reports of the desecration of the Indian flag across Bangladesh, with some burning it and others laying it on the floor for people to step on.
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Members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) shout slogans as they are stopped by police during a protest outside the Bangladesh High Commission in Mumbai, India, Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
A member of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) shouts during a protest condemning the atrocities on Bangladesh Hindus and the recent arrest of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) priest Chinmoy Krishna Das by Dhaka police, outside the Bangladesh High Commission in Mumbai, India, Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) shout slogans as they are stopped by police during a protest outside the Bangladesh High Commission in Mumbai, India, Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
A member of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) shouts during a protest condemning the atrocities on Bangladesh Hindus and the recent arrest of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) priest Chinmoy Krishna Das by Dhaka police, outside the Bangladesh High Commission in Mumbai, India, Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) shout slogans during a protest outside the Bangladesh High Commission in Mumbai, India, Monday, Dec. 2, 2024.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Krishna Das Prabhu, who was arrested in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, last week, faces charges of sedition after he led huge rallies in the southeastern city of Chattogram. Hindu groups say there have been thousands of attacks against Hindus since early August, when the secular government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was overthrown.
Relations between India and Bangladesh deteriorated after Hasina fled to India in the wake of mass protests which left hundreds of protesters dead and thousands wounded. India has since stopped issuing visas for Bangladeshi nationals, except for medical treatment.
India, which sheltered 10 million refugees and helped Bangladesh gain independence through a nine-month bloody war against Pakistan in 1971, considers Hasina as a trusted friend. Hasina's father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the independence leader of Bangladesh, then the eastern part of present day Pakistan.
The detention of Prabhu sparked violent protests by his supporters. A Muslim lawyer was hacked to death near the court in Chattogram hours after the news of his jailing surfaced and his supporters clashed with security forces. The situation caused concern in Hindu-majority India and the Bangladesh interim government, led by Nobel peace laurate Muhammad Yunus.
Prabhu, also known as Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, didn't appear in court Tuesday.
Public Prosecutor Mofizul Haque Bhuiyan told The Associated Press by phone that Chattogram Metropolitan Session Judge Saiful Islam ordered a bail hearing be held on Jan. 2 after the prosecution petitioned for more time to study the case. He also said no defense lawyer represented Prabhu in court.
Anti-India protests were planned in Dhaka on Tuesday after a group of Hindus in Agartala, the capital of the northeastern Indian state of Tripura, stormed a consulate office of Bangladesh on Monday in protest over Prabhu’s arrest.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said Monday that the attack on the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala was "deeply regrettable.”
“Diplomatic and consular properties should not be targeted under any circumstances,” a ministry statement said.
It added that India was stepping up security arrangements at the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi and other diplomatic offices in the country.
Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday condemned the attack in Agartala and demanded security to prevent any further acts of violence against its diplomatic missions in India.
“The accounts received conclusively attest that the protesters were allowed to aggress into the premises by breaking down the main gate of Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in a pre-planned manner,” the foreign ministry said.
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, an umbrella organization of the country’s minority groups, has denounced the arrest of Prabhu and called for his release.
Prabhu is a spokesman for the Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatan Jagaran Jote group. He was also associated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, widely known as the Hare Krishna movement.
Hindus and members of other minority groups say they have faced attacks since the ouster of Hasina. Yunus has said the threat to Hindus has been exaggerated.
Around 91% of Bangladesh’s population is Muslim, with Hindus making up almost all of the rest.
Bangladesh has faced political and social tensions since Hasina’s fall after a mass uprising ended her 15-year rule. Her critics had accused her of becoming autocratic.
The interim government has been struggling to establish order amid a background of mob justice, street protests, police administration issues and political uncertainty, with Yunus repeatedly urging for calm.
Members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) shout slogans as they are stopped by police during a protest outside the Bangladesh High Commission in Mumbai, India, Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
A member of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) shouts during a protest condemning the atrocities on Bangladesh Hindus and the recent arrest of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) priest Chinmoy Krishna Das by Dhaka police, outside the Bangladesh High Commission in Mumbai, India, Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) shout slogans as they are stopped by police during a protest outside the Bangladesh High Commission in Mumbai, India, Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
A member of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) shouts during a protest condemning the atrocities on Bangladesh Hindus and the recent arrest of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) priest Chinmoy Krishna Das by Dhaka police, outside the Bangladesh High Commission in Mumbai, India, Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) shout slogans during a protest outside the Bangladesh High Commission in Mumbai, India, Monday, Dec. 2, 2024.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
PARIS (AP) — France’s far-right and left-wing lawmakers joined together to vote Wednesday a no-confidence motion prompted by budget disputes that forces Prime Minister Michel Barnier to resign.
The National Assembly approved the motion by 331 votes. A minimum of 288 were needed.
President Emmanuel Macron insisted he will serve the rest of his term until 2027. However, he will need to appoint a new prime minister for the second time after July’s legislative elections led to a deeply divided parliament.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
PARIS (AP) — France’s far-right and left-wing forces are expected to join together Wednesday to oust Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government in a historic no-confidence vote prompted by budget disputes. If the motion succeeds, it would mark the first time a French government has been toppled this way in more than 60 years.
President Emmanuel Macron insisted he will serve the rest of his term until 2027 despite growing opposition calls for his departure amid the turmoil. However, Macron will need to appoint a new prime minister for the second time after his party’s losses in July’s legislative elections.
Macron, on his way back from a presidential visit to Saudi Arabia, said discussions about him potentially resigning were “make-believe politics," according to French media reports.
“I’m here because I’ve been elected twice by the French people,” Macron said. He was also reported as saying: “We must not scare people with such things. We have a strong economy."
The no-confidence motion rose from fierce opposition to Barnier’s proposed budget.
The National Assembly, France’s lower house of parliament, is deeply fractured, with no single party holding a majority. It comprises three major blocs: Macron’s centrist allies, the left-wing coalition New Popular Front, and the far-right National Rally. Both opposition blocs, typically at odds, are uniting against Barnier, accusing him of imposing austerity measures and failing to address citizens’ needs.
Barnier, a conservative appointed in September, could become the country's shortest-serving prime minister in France's modern Republic.
In last-minute efforts to try to save his government, Barnier called on lawmakers to act with “responsibility” and think of “the country's best interest."
“The situation is very difficult economically, socially, fiscally and financially," he said, speaking on national television TF1 and France 2 on Tuesday evening. "If the no-confidence motion passes, everything will be more difficult and everything will be more serious.”
Speaking at the National Assembly ahead of the vote, National Rally leader Marine Le Pen, whose party's goodwill was crucial to keeping Barnier in power, said “we’ve reached the moment of truth, a parliamentary moment unseen since 1962, which will likely seal the end of a short-lived government.”
“Stop pretending the lights will go out,” hard-left lawmaker Eric Coquerel said, noting the possibility of an emergency law to levy taxes from Jan. 1, based on this year’s rules. “The special law will prevent a shutdown. It will allow us to get through the end of the year by delaying the budget by a few weeks.”
The National Assembly said the no-confidence motion requires at least 288 of 574 votes to pass. The left and the far right count over 330 lawmakers — yet some may abstain from voting.
If Barnier’s government falls, Macron must appoint a new prime minister, but the fragmented parliament remains unchanged. No new legislative elections can be held until at least July, creating a potential stalemate for policymakers.
While France is not at risk of a U.S.-style government shutdown, political instability could spook financial markets.
France is under pressure from the European Union to reduce its colossal debt. The country’s deficit is estimated to reach 6% of gross domestic product this year and analysts say it could rise to 7% next year without drastic adjustments. The political instability could push up French interest rates, digging the debt even further.
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen speaks at the National Assembly prior to a no-confidence vote that could bring down the Prime Minister and the government for the first time since 1962, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
French far-left France Unbowed party parliament member Eric Coquerel speaks at the National Assembly prior to a no-confidence vote that could bring down the Prime Minister and the government for the first time since 1962, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
French far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon listens to speeches rom the tribunes at the National Assembly prior to a no-confidence vote that could bring down the Prime Minister and the government for the first time since 1962, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
French far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, left, listens to speeches from the tribunes at the National Assembly prior to a no-confidence vote that could bring down the Prime Minister and the government for the first time since 1962, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Lawmakers convene at the National Assembly during a debate and prior to a no-confidence vote that could bring down the Prime Minister and the government for the first time since 1962, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen arrives to deliver her speech at the National Assembly prior to a no-confidence vote that could bring down the Prime Minister and the government for the first time since 1962, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen delivers her speech at the National Assembly prior to a no-confidence vote that could bring down the Prime Minister and the government for the first time since 1962, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen delivers her speech at the National Assembly prior to a no-confidence vote that could bring down the Prime Minister and the government for the first time since 1962, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
French Prime Minister Michel Barnier listens to speeches at the National Assembly prior to a no-confidence vote that could bring down the Prime Minister and the government for the first time since 1962, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
French Prime Minister Michel Barnier listens to speeches at the National Assembly prior to a no-confidence vote that could bring down the Prime Minister and the government for the first time since 1962, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
French Prime Minister Michel Barnier holds a document during speeches at the National Assembly prior to a no-confidence vote that could bring down the Prime Minister and the government for the first time since 1962, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Former French President and now socialist party parliament member Francois Hollande sits at the National Assembly before French lawmakers vote on a no-confidence motion that could bring down the Prime Minister and the government for the first time since 1962, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
French far-left France Unbowed party parliament group president Mathilde Panot, right, gestures at the National Assembly before French lawmakers vote on a no-confidence motion that could bring down the Prime Minister and the government for the first time since 1962, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, right, talks with a National Rally parliament member at the National Assembly before French lawmakers vote on a no-confidence motion that could bring down the Prime Minister and the government for the first time since 1962, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen sits at the National Assembly before French lawmakers vote on a no-confidence motion that could bring down the Prime Minister and the government for the first time since 1962, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
French Prime Minister Michel Barnier, center, talks to people at the National Assembly before French lawmakers vote on a no-confidence motion that could bring down the prime minister and the government for the first time since 1962, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
French Prime Minister Michel Barnier, center, talks to people at the National Assembly before French lawmakers vote on a no-confidence motion that could bring down the prime minister and the government for the first time since 1962, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
