France Unveils 1st of 12 Youth ‘Deradicalization’ Centers

In the midst of the bucolic town of Beaumont-en-Véron – population 2900 – nestled in the scenic Loire Valley, the French government will soon begin the rather Orwellian project of "deradicalizing" Muslim youth, inside an 18th-century chateau.

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This latest counter-terror measure comes after three major attacks in the past two years in France, leaving a total of 230 dead.

The 10-month program will see the roster of "radical" young people, aged 18 to 30 , who will volunteer for the rigorous re-training program beginning with a 6:45 a.m. wake-up call, followed by a ceremonial salute of the French flag and courses in French history, religion and philosophy.

One of the common lounges. | Photo: Twitter / @geraldinehallot

“We can only fight against terrorism by respecting the principles of the Republic,” France’s interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, told France Inter radio Wednesday morning.

During a tour of the Chateau de Pontourny facility, Interior Ministry officials told certain French media outlets that the center will be based solely on “voluntary” admission, and not decreed by government order, focusing on radicalized individuals that are “looking for a way out.”

But many have voiced their criticism at the government’s plan, with Gérald Bronner, a sociologist on the government’s committee and the author of “Extreme Thought: How Ordinary Men Become Radicals,” saying that the notion of “deradicalization” itself is preposterous.

“It means that you can take an idea or a belief out of the brain, and I think that’s just impossible,” Bronner said, as reported by the Washington Post. “Nobody in the history of psychology — nobody — has succeeded.”

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“What we have to try is not a kind of mental manipulation but the opposite — mind liberation, a strengthening of their intellectual immune systems,” he added. “And it’s they who will have to do that themselves.”

A number of local residents also protested the facility Tuesday, saying that the new center smack dab in the middle of their community could make them a target for a future attack by terrorists.

In addition, a number of mental health professionals have also criticized the plan, insisting that the French government is merely experimenting without a clearly-defined method or guarantee of success.