French Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin said on X (formerly Twitter) that Tunisia’s Islamic religious leader had been expelled for “extremism.”
“The extremist imam Majub Majubi was just deported from the country less than 12 hours after his arrest,” Darmanin said.
He returned to Tunisia on a Thursday night flight, Reuters reported, citing French media.
Mr Mahjubi was controversial, and he was eventually arrested after a video went viral in which he described the tricolour flag as “of no value to Allah” and “the devil’s flag.
“He did not say which flag he was referring to, but many people assumed he was referring to the tricolour French flag.
Mr Majubi denied any wrongdoing and said his statements in the video had been misinterpreted.
“This is proof that without immigration law it would not have been possible to deport people so quickly, but it makes France stronger.
We will not tolerate anything,” Darmanin said of the deportations.
France expelled Mr Majubi under a new law that reduces protections for foreign residents and makes it easier for the government to force them out of the country.
Mr Majubi’s lawyer said he intended to appeal his expulsion.