Against state racism [France]

March 27, 1996
Issue 

By Michel Fiant

[This editorial, from the weekly newspaper of Alternative Rouge et Verte, follows a spate of round-ups and expulsions of North Africans in France. Translation for Green Left Weekly by Brendan Doyle.)

The government informs us that the number of foreigners in France has decreased. Through naturalisation (compulsory after a certain period of residence) or by choice, 142,000 of them became French in 1994, as against 98,500 in 1993. More significantly, there were only 83,000 new foreign residents, against 116,000 in 1993. But how can we be proud of our refusal to welcome men and women from Algeria and Bosnia, driven from their country by war and terrorism? Many of us will never forget the state racism for which Chirac, Juppé, Toubon and their friends are responsible.

Meanwhile, foreigners continue to be hunted down. French citizens who house an illegal immigrant whom they want to marry are prosecuted. A law passed on December 20 includes under anti-terrorist legislation "aiding the entry, movements or irregular residence of a foreigner". For the fifth time in two years, a government department has been found guilty of illegally deporting clandestine immigrants. To what extents are they willing to push this rabid xenophobia?

Claiming that they are short-circuiting the demands made by [National Front leader Jean-Marie] Le Pen, the parties of the right try to justify preferential treatment of French citizens. Claiming to defend the nation, they beef up state repression. Giving the courts and the police the power to carry this out, they create a climate where everyone is subject to suspicion, checks and repression.

It is essential to mobilise against state racism and demand the repeal of these heinous laws. Parties and associations have been meeting to do this. Soon there are bound to be hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of us to make this demand. In the same way, we will remove the right and force the extreme right to retreat.

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