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| Europe |
| 1/3 of French now considered racist |
| 2006-03-22 |
| One third of French people say they are racist, a French human rights watchdog said on Tuesday, after a survey that showed an increase from last year in the number of people who acknowledged being racist. Some 33 percent of 1,011 people surveyed face-to-face by pollsters CSA said they were "somewhat" or "a little" racist, up 8 percentage points from last year, according to an annual report by the National Consultative Commission for Human Rights. The poll asked the question "When it comes to you personally, would you say you are ..." followed by a list of options: somewhat racist, a bit racist, not racist, not very racist, not racist at all and don't want to say. The poll revealed deep economic and social anxiety, Joel Thoraval, the commission's president, said in a statement released to coincide with the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. "Despite the efforts deployed to fight racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia there is still a long way to go," he said. The report, presented to Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, was conducted from November 17-22, 2005, immediately after several weeks of rioting in poor suburbs around the country. Thousands of cars were torched by youths who said they faced discrimination, police harassment and lack of access to jobs. Youth unemployment rises to 50 percent in some poor urban areas. France does not keep official statistics on the number of people belonging to ethnic groups, arguing that to do so would undermine social cohesion and go against its republican ideals. France has Europe's largest Jewish and Muslim minorities with about 600,000 Jews and 5 million Muslims, mainly of north African origin. Asked about their main fears for French society 27 percent listed unemployment. Insecurity and poverty were cited by 16 and 11 percent respectively as their primary concern. Right-wing politician Jean-Marie Le Pen stunned France when he came second in the first round of presidential elections in 2002 against President Jacques Chirac, espousing policies that included a tough line on foreigners. The French League of Human Rights said in a press release that politicians trivialised racism and associated petty crime, economic crisis and housing shortages with an excessive number of foreigners. The number of violent racist or xenophobic acts reported to the authorities fell to 88 in 2005 from 169 in 2004, partly because of a sharp drop in Corsica, which accounted for almost half of all such acts in 2004, the commission's report said. But the number of threats reported fell at a slower rate, to 382 in 2005 from 461 in 2004, the commission said. Separately, Europe's top human rights body, the Council of Europe, issued a region-wide call for vigilance against the spread of discrimination, hate speech and stereotyping across different forms of media. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #13 Not to be picky, but, I am going to point out that there is a mix up in terms. Race refers to something that is almost genetic. Being Muslim is not genetic. This would be bigoted. Anyway, France is one of the most bigoted places I have ever been, racist not so sure about, but if you refer to Anglo-Saxon then maybe. African, maybe but Muslim, that would be bigoted. |
| Posted by: bombay 2006-03-22 21:21 |
| #12 What JFM said. When distrusting Muslims is called racist, there are many in France with the personal experiences to name themselves so. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-03-22 17:39 |
| #11 Almost everybody is a racist. In fact, is there anyone who is not a racist ? Anyone ? Fact, the reason babies and tottlers are often extremely cute, is that they require help and attention for life support. It is the same for animals. The parent is soft and willingly responds to pleads from the cute little offspring. As adults, beautiful women, normally cute long after the rest have become gamely, are spoiled by the attention they receive. Twas ever thus, except when covered by burkas and tied in the tent. |
| Posted by: wxjames 2006-03-22 13:10 |
| #10 People who have had their cars burned and who pais attention on Muslims pretending to regulate the contents of Westen newspapers and calling for genocide of westerners (all while being fed by the westerner tax payer) tend to be somewhat upset. People who live in another planet (read French journalists and elites) call this racist. |
| Posted by: JFM 2006-03-22 12:28 |
| #9 I am not racist! I hate all non-French peoples equally! |
| Posted by: Frenchman 2006-03-22 12:10 |
| #8 Only 1/3? Damn, that's a definite improvement. I would have pegged it at 99%. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2006-03-22 11:56 |
| #7 This is the first time they included muslim responses in the survey. That they hate everyone else and are willing to state it drove the increase. |
| Posted by: DoDo 2006-03-22 11:40 |
| #6 The frogs' "human rights watchdog" is apparently self-flagellating (like the shiites at azura). It wants the population to be ashame of being 'bad mannered.' [Surrender monkies have good manners.] |
| Posted by: Duh! 2006-03-22 09:19 |
| #5 An increase of 25% in one year. That's quite a swing in opinion. Al |
| Posted by: Frozen Al 2006-03-22 09:16 |
| #4 The French League of Human Rights = LDH = leftist tools, whose leaders included collaborators of the national-islamist Fln during Algeria war (that's is, mostly marxist wartime traitors who helped war criminals who killed for example 150 000 harkis/pro France algerians in *horrible* fashion, after signing a peace), and who belong to the same islamo-leftist enablers than the communist Mrap, or in a lesser way, the socialist Sos-racisme. Let them die. |
| Posted by: anonymous5089 2006-03-22 09:16 |
| #3 Silly Darrell - such calls do not apply to the Religion of Peace (tm)..... |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2006-03-22 08:44 |
| #2 "One third of French people say they are racist" The rest are in denial. |
| Posted by: BrerRabbit 2006-03-22 08:35 |
| #1 "...Europe's top human rights body, the Council of Europe, issued a region-wide call for vigilance against the spread of discrimination, hate speech and stereotyping..." Did they call for an end to car burning, abduction, and murder? Do they have an affirmative action program for Council membership? |
| Posted by: Darrell 2006-03-22 08:25 |