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France: where’s the alternative?
HAVING READ Karl Debbaut’s excellent article in
Socialism Today No. 97 (France: riots, repression and more
neo-liberalism) I would like to contribute a couple of small points.
At the height of the riots the French president,
Jacques Chirac, appeared on television and scornfully dismissed the idea
that the rioting neighbourhoods and their inhabitants should receive any
special treatment. It was unnecessary, he said, because the rioters,
mostly second and third generation North Africans known as Beurs, are
French citizens and all French citizens are equal. This statement shows
how removed the French political class are from reality. The government
has no understanding of or points of contact with these modern day
ghettos, a trait that worries the capitalist class in France who can no
longer trust their political representatives to deal with such problems.
Chirac’s statement also revealed the limited scope
for economic aid given the state of the French economy and government
finances, though some money has now been found under the pressure of
events.
Those participating in the riots repeatedly threw
back in Chirac’s face his assertion about their status as French
citizens. Beurs, they said, were constantly discriminated against and
were denied decent housing and education. Without exception they said
they did not feel French, did not have equality, and were not treated
with respect.
Time and again, during the riots, it became apparent
that apart from the generalized feelings of discrimination and
deprivation there was no specific set of demands and no recognized
leadership. In the absence of an intervention from left political and
trade union leaderships, who are probably as perplexed as Chirac and the
government about how to deal with the issues, the action was bound to
peter out in a mixture of exhaustion, frustration and disillusionment.
The issues highlighted by the riots have not been
resolved, however, and will not go away. There is, ticking away, a time
bomb which will go off without warning. The question is whether there is
a political force in France capable of linking up the grievances of the
Beurs and the French working class generally, whose conditions are under
attack. On current evidence the answer in the immediate future is no. As
in Britain there is need for developing a new mass party of the working
class. The riots on the one hand and the size of Le Pen’s party
following on the other, emphasises the importance and urgency of this
question for the French working class.
Terry Adams,
Tarn, France
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