March 26, 200719 yr Jews for Le Pen By Daniel Ben-Simon AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France - Two small and vulnerable communities, one constituting about 1 percent of the population and the other about 10 percent, are the fulcrum of the 2007 French presidential elections. The Jews and Muslims in France have fulfilled a decisive role in determining the political agenda for some 60 million French people. First, the Jews were hit. In the fall of 2000, when the Muslims began to avenge the damage done to their Palestinian brethren in the territories, the lives of the Jews of France changed. Within months, hundreds of attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions were reported. Community leaders raised the alarm, but the French government dismissed the events as incidents perpetrated by criminals or delinquent youths. The socialist government headed by Prime Minister Lionel Jospin deciphered the new reality, but feared sparking a communal and ethnic conflagration that would set fire to the republic. Thus, only rarely did government spokesmen mention the ethnic origin of the perpetrators or their victims. Only when synagogues and schools were hit was their link to Judaism mentioned. Only when Jews took to the streets and demanded that their country protect them, waving the flag of Israel alongside the French flag, did France concede that this was a new wave of anti-Semitism. In the past it had taken a Christian form; this time, it was described as Muslim anti-Semitism. Seven years later, the all-clear can be sounded. Attacks do continue, but they are much less severe. Here and there curses, here and there shoving, here and there slogans on walls. The murder of Ilan Halimi a year ago was considered the height of the anti-Jewish campaign that began in the fall of 2000. These seven years have shaped the new politics of France's Jews. Real fears have grown strong sometimes to the point of exaggeration and have caused the Jews to prefer a right-wing to a left-wing candidate. It is almost certain the extreme right headed by Jean-Marie Le Pen will benefit from the terror that has settled in the hearts of the Jews. In the past, Jews did not vote for Le Pen because they saw him as a racist and a xenophobe. As long as they felt protected, they condemned him and his opinions. But in light of their feeling that the state has abandoned them, some see him as a worthy address. While the state has not admitted to the growth of extremist elements in the Muslim community, Le Pen more forcefully emphasizes his well-known opinions: Muslims, or most Muslims, should go back to their countries of origin. The enemy of my enemy has suddenly become a friend. A Jewish doctor in this picturesque town said a few days ago that many of his friends intended to vote for Le Pen. "Of course, because he is the best for the Jews of France," he said. A friend of his, an economics professor who took part in the conversation, conceded that although things had improved, most of the Jews of Aix-en-Provence would vote either for the right-wing candidate Nicolas Sarkozy or Le Pen. "I have a feeling that Le Pen will do very well in the coming elections," he said. In the last elections, in 2002, Le Pen got most of the votes in the mixed cities, where veteran French people live alongside Muslim immigrants. Sarkozy, the leading candidate, is for this reason trying with all his might to pull votes that have already leaked into Le Pen's camp. Segolene Royal, the left-wing candidate, knows that hundreds of thousands of votes have gone to the margins, pursued by fears and insecurity. To a great extent it is the Jews of France who have marked out the new path the 2007 election is taking. True, in the election campaign everybody is talking about the economy, unemployment, education, allocations to the weak, the level of universities, the need for increased military power, France's place in Europe and its relationship with the United States; but floating above all these important issues is the question of France's identity. In what country do they want to live and how France will look in the future are two of the questions that the French voters are placing before their candidates. Who would have thought that France, too, would become entrapped by the politics of identities and would not be able to extricate itself from them. One hundred and two years after religion and state were separated and a way of life instituted that erases identities, France finds itself struggling over what is left of the republican revolution. On this level, not only the Jews have fulfilled a significant role since the fall of 2000, but so have the Muslims, since the riots of the fall of 2005.
March 26, 200719 yr Author You know, Le Pen is very hard to understand, he made some "peace acts" with muslims, against jews, now he does the same with jews against muslims... It's just electoral hypocrisy...:confused:
March 28, 200719 yr well... portuguese politicians make me want to puke everytime they talk... but now I find out that the same happens with the french... having a lot of french channels at home and the constant highlights on the swiss press I have no choice but to follow the campaign even though I'm not interested... my favourite campaign moments are on the TV show "on a tout essaye"... cause I always care for a good laugh... btw... can't stand Royal's face... don't really know why... she looks even more hypocrite than the others... but I love Bove's moustache!!!! :D
March 29, 200719 yr Author well... portuguese politicians make me want to puke everytime they talk... but now I find out that the same happens with the french... having a lot of french channels at home and the constant highlights on the swiss press I have no choice but to follow the campaign even though I'm not interested... my favourite campaign moments are on the TV show "on a tout essaye"... cause I always care for a good laugh... btw... can't stand Royal's face... don't really know why... she looks even more hypocrite than the others... but I love Bove's moustache!!!! :D That's true that Bové's face & moustache are very... funny! I'm not sure that Royal is the more hypocrite, but I agree to say that she has a "hypocrite head"! And, I love "On a tout essayé" too, this is one of the geatest TV show, with Steevy the Sarkozy's fan and Gérard Miller the Royal's fan!
March 29, 200719 yr It's just electoral hypocrisy...:confused: Haha... just this sentence sums the situation up... Everything is hypocrisy... whatever the "side" you'll vote for... Do you think one of them will really improve things and make it better? I don't think so. I think we should really trust the person we'll vote for. Maybe you trust one of them, it's ok... I don't trust any of them, I don't know if I'll vote...( yeah, I know... civic duty and blabla) This is a personnal opinion, but no one of them deserves to be president. And waht's more, as far as I know, France doesn't really have a good reputation abroad, thanks to Mrs Royal, in China, and surely somewhere else... and thanks to the others too... they don't make things better... Beside making bullocks and saying lies, those persons are just making everything worse... And I noticed (Tell me I'm not the only one... :confused:) that when ppl start to talk about politics, it always turns into sth messy, with anger, and everything... Just stupid....
April 5, 200719 yr hypocrisy is the problem everywhere! :confused: It's typical French ! Watch around you, my dear. If you had lived abroad as I had, you would have paid attention to it. :thinking:
April 5, 200719 yr i think hypocrisy is tipical for politics no matter the country... they always promise the would do that thing or this other one, but when we have the next elections, they promise the same and the hardly ever do what they promised... i think that they have time to do what they said they would do in 4 years, why do they always need 8 years? :( for hypocrisy during the elections campaing they waste time blaming each other for have done or not have done one or other thing, that's childish... they should worry for doing good things for the country and not discuss ones with the others, that's their task, otherwise why do we need politics? :(
April 5, 200719 yr Author It's typical French ! Watch around you, my dear. If you had lived abroad as I had, you would have paid attention to it. :thinking: Hypocrisy is everywhere : USA (ahaha Bush without hypocrisy is impossible!!!), England (sale with Blair), Italy (Berlusconi... no comment), etc... And I don't want to live abroad.
April 5, 200719 yr You're probably right, Ariadnasquire, but since I have lived abroad, in the Netherlands definitely, when I got back to France I noticed more than ever that French are more hypocrit than in other countries. I could compare after being abroad a couple of years. Sorry to say that but I mean it ! A friend of mine that has lived in Belgium for one year agrees with me. However I was born in France.
April 5, 200719 yr You're probably right, Ariadnasquire, but since I have lived abroad, in the Netherlands definitely, when I got back to France I noticed more than ever that French are more hypocrit than in other countries. I could compare after being abroad a couple of years. Sorry to say that but I mean it ! A friend of mine that has lived in Belgium for one year agrees with me. However I was born in France. well we know more our countries when we are abroad and we come back later, may be, at least we notice this things more. i've been reading portuguese press, and different parties are blaming each other for what they've done or haven't done..., that's a waste of time in my opinion, i don't like it in politics, as i said they should worry about the country and not in what the other party do or say, i think this hypocrisy is in all europe now, and i don't think that in all european countries we will be going to have general elections now, although in election campaings the politics are more hypocrit than often. this situation scares me because i think that people will make a wrong choose with this stuff around... but with this hypocrisy, which politic is less liar? :(
April 14, 200719 yr Author The first round will be in 8 days, and Sarkozy is always the best placed... :cry:
April 20, 200719 yr Author Oh, elections are this week end, and Ségolène Royal is going to be elected in this forum... I hope that French are like the people in this forum! :laugh3:
April 20, 200719 yr Hypocrisy is everywhere : USA (ahaha Bush without hypocrisy is impossible!!!), England (sale with Blair), Italy (Berlusconi... no comment), etc... And I don't want to live abroad. If you mean for the hypocrisy......it's everywhere....not just in France....I speak as italian and i can tell you that hypocrisy is one of our worst vice, that covers the affairs of politicians. I donì't know if in France is worse than us.... For the rest....not for hypocrisy,but for eating I ADVICE you to cross the border over the alps...:D( i joke:P) About Berlusconi......:laugh3::laugh3::laugh3:we can send it in your country if you want:D!! As a foreign guy i don't know who would be better between Sarko e Sègo........but i prefer the next french president will be co-operative with the european partners.....
April 22, 200719 yr Author 86,5% of participation!!!!!!!! :smug: A record in France!!!! It could means that far-right has a little result!!! :)
April 22, 200719 yr I went voting today... *honestly, that was so boring... * Whoever is the president, I surely didn't vote for him (her?)
April 22, 200719 yr France opts for left-right battle Exit polls from France's closely fought presidential election suggest Nicolas Sarkozy will face Segolene Royal in the second round of voting on 6 May. Centre-right Mr Sarkozy won 30%, ahead of Ms Royal of the Socialists on 25.2%. Centrist Francois Bayrou got 18.3% and the far-right Jean-Marie Le Pen 11.5%. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6582007.stm So who is Sarkozy and who is Royal? ------------------ In local election news, looks like I won't have to make a too hard pick for Borough Councillor. (http://www.testvalley.gov.uk/Default.aspx?page=6654)
April 22, 200719 yr Sarkozy is from the right, and is for forbidding immigration. (that's all I know lol) Royal is from the left, and ... ... I dunno at all! I'm not into politics at all! :laugh3:
April 22, 200719 yr We'll know by two weeks who will win. Segolene or Sarko ? :confused: I voted this morning.
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