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ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — A summer festival in Croatia has removed a play by controversial French writer Michel Houellebecq from its program because of security concerns.
The Dubrovnik Festival said Thursday that the play — based on Houellebecq's 1998 novel "The Elementary Particles" — was canceled after Croatia's police determined that "staging the play would present a security risk."
The statement says the festival has acted in accordance with the Croatian laws.
Houellebecq has stirred controversy with his views of Islam. His latest book imagines France in a not-too-distant future after an Islamic government takes power.
The Dubrovnik Festival is held in July and August, at the peak of Croatia's summer tourist season when the walled, medieval city is packed with thousands of visitors from all over the world.
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