Cartoons on Prophet Muhammad (SM)Hefazat-e-Islam men gather at Baitul Mukarram

Several hundreds of leaders and activists Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh have gathered in front of national mosque Baitul Mukarram to protest against French President Emmanuel Macron's remarks criticising Islam and defending cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed.

The protesters started gathering in the national mosque area since 11:00 am on Monday. They will march towards Gulshan in order to lay siege to the French Embassy in Dhaka.

Earlier, leaders and activists of Islami Andolan Bangladesh staged a demonstration and demanded scrapping diplomatic relations with France and boycotting the country's products.

Muslims at home and abroad called for boycotting French products in protest against the cartoons caricaturing Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SM) and the statement of French President Emmanuel Macron criticising Islam.

Members of Muslim communities across the world burst into protests against the spread of religious hatred and continuous publication of a caricature by a so-called French cartoonist defaming Islam

The protestors made the call for boycotting French products in protest as French president Emmanuel Macron defended the cartoonist and termed Islam a "religion in crisis."

French products include Total LP Gas, Garniger cosmetics, L’Oreal cosmetics, Motul engine old, Supercrete cement, Sanofi medicinal items Telfast, Pevision, Lasix, Avil, Stemetil and Butapan, Lacoste shoes and perfume, evian mineral water, Peugeot electric car, Bic pen, gas lighter and razor, the products of Carrefour Multinational Corporation, Tefal non-stick cookware and home appliance, Dior cosmetics and jewellery, Guerlain skincare and perfume and La vache qui rit processed cheese.

The protestors also called upon the people not to go to Alliance Française Language Institute for any purpose.