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| Europe |
| Beware the spread of racism, Chirac tells French |
| 2004-07-09 |
| President Jacques Chirac called on France yesterday to "wake up" to the growing problem of racism and anti-semitism. In an emotive speech, given at Chambon-sur-Lignon, where villagers hid thousands of Jews during the Second World War, Mr Chirac pledged to lead the fight against the "darkest side of human nature" and called on his countrymen to "remember the still-recent past" of Nazi round-ups and French collaboration. He said: "I invite them to tell their children of the mortal danger posed by fanaticism, exclusion, cowardice and resignation in the face of extremism. I ask them forcefully to show our resolve, our common ability to live in harmony and mutual respect ... Faced with this danger, I call on them to wake up. Discrimination, anti-semitism - all kinds of racism are spreading insidiously. All these acts reflect the darkest side of human nature. They are unworthy of France. I will do everything to stop them." A series of attacks over recent months prompted Mr Chirac to speak out. In April, 127 tombs at a Jewish cemetery were desecrated. Last November, arsonists burned down part of a Jewish secondary school on the outskirts of Paris. Scarcely a day passes without reports of attacks on Jews somewhere in France. Mr Chirac said racism affected both "our Jewish compatriots, who have been present in our country since time immemorial and our Muslim compatriots, who have made the choice to work and live in our country". Until recently, M Chirac’s rhetoric ran far ahead of his actions. But he recently appointed a super-minister for social cohesion, Jean-Louis Borloo, with a remit ranging from housing to education to race relations. M Borloo was previously the iconoclastic and popular mayor of Valenciennes, in north-eastern France, a city he turned into a laboratory for tackling social problems. |
| Posted by:Bulldog |
#7 Beware the spread of racism, Chirac tells FrenchExcept against the Jooooos, of course. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2004-07-09 10:20:44 PM |
| #6 "...tell their children of the mortal danger posed by fanaticism, exclusion, cowardice and resignation in the face of extremism. I ask them forcefully to show our resolve, our common ability to live in harmony and mutual respect ...I will do everything to stop them." Short of DOING anything. |
| Posted by: jules 187 2004-07-09 3:07:54 PM |
| #5 Actually, it was "shitty little country", Dan. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2004-07-09 12:31:26 PM |
| #4 yet, he did nothing, said nothing after his Ambassador to England called Israel a "dirty little country." (in)actions speak louder than words. |
| Posted by: PlanetDan 2004-07-09 10:09:08 AM |
| #3 ...he recently appointed a super-minister for social cohesion Look! Up in the Sky!! |
| Posted by: tu3031 2004-07-09 10:03:19 AM |
| #2 Coming from a man who once joked about the "smell and noise" coming out of immigrants appartments and annoying "honest" french workers. Having said that , i don't believe that the man himself is an antisemite. Chirac has cornered himself, and his country,into unreasonnable and unconditional support of practically any arab demand, in the name of grandstanding and the 3rd way politics.And since the french media never dare question this established wisdom, there is no balanced information in france countering or moderating the arab satellite channels allegations;and so the french-arab youth feels justifed in his hatred toward israel and french jews. And since even the mere idea of self critsism is absent in france, particulary in its media,i dont see any close solution at hand |
| Posted by: frenchfregoli 2004-07-09 8:25:54 AM |
| #1 Mr Chirac should know since he is a noted anti-semite and racist. |
| Posted by: FlameBait93268 2004-07-09 5:19:09 AM |