The so called anti separatism bill strengthens the state's oversight of mosques, schools and sports clubs.

It also includes tough new measures against online apologists for acts of violence on cracks down on practices like forced marriage and virginity testing.

The bill was brought forward by President Emmanuel Macron, who said it will strengthen the country's secular principles.

His party said the need for such a law was highlighted by the killing of a school teacher in Paris last October.

Samuel Patty was beheaded by a teenage Islamist start to show cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a class on free speech.

Less than a fortnight later, a church warden and two worshippers were killed in a basilica in Nice by Tunisian Islamist G.

M.

V.

T is from the president's ruling party.

The fight against separatism has long been an imperative of national interest.

The tragedy has made it an urgent moral necessity and so what is in this bill?

First it guarantees their need for secularism after major advances in her public actions.

Second, it protects victims of separatism being physically or online.

Tuesday's vote in the lower house was the first hurdle for a bill that's proved contentious on the left on right, some on the left setters, an attack on France's five million Muslims.

While critics on the right say it's too weak still itself through.

With 347 votes in favor, 151 against the legislation now moves to the Senate, where the center right opposition dominates.

Its passage is seen as key to Macron's re election hopes for 2022 French identity and domestic security expected to be central issues in the presidential vote.