French mayor expelled for claiming Islam will be banned from France by 2027

A French mayor, who claimed on Twitter that Islam will be banned in France by 2027, is facing expulsion from the country's main opposition conservative party after rightists termed his statement "unacceptable."

The party's vice president Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet said that he had called for the expulsion procedure to be started for these "absurd statements" which in no way reflected the ideals of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), reported The Guardian.

The row erupted after Robert Chardon, mayor of the southern town of Venelles, tweeted several times on Thursday, May 14, that "the religion of Islam will be banned in France on Oct. 18, 2027." He added that anyone practicing the religion should be immediately escorted to the border. He also said that France should abolish its law on secularism and amend the constitution to stipulate that "the republic favors the practice of the Christian faith."

The offensive tweets elicited widespread condemnation from conservatives, including former president Nicolas Sarkozy.

While criticising the statement, a spokesman for the center-right UMP confirmed that the party had already begun procedures to remove the mayor from the party.

France is home to Europe's largest Muslim population of seven million.