Category: France
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Fascism knocks on France’s door this election… and this time it may knock it down
ANALYSIS With two days to go before French voters head to the polls, far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen stands just 2.5 percentage points away from victory in the first round of the presidential election (IFOP). Yes, you read that correctly. Never has a far-right candidate polled this close to the winner’s spot, not even when […]
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On Islamophobia, enlightened France is spoilt for choice in the 2022 election
CN: Islamophobia, xenophobia OPINION Don’t be misled by the French liberal outrage at Eric Zemmour. The foundations of his presidential campaign, swollen with the pus of supremacist yearnings and anti-Muslim intent, were laid long ago when a dangerous rhetoric was co-opted by the very voices now denouncing his campaign. The process of legitimising some of […]
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The French far right has never been stronger in my lifetime
CN: xenophobia, Islamophobia OPINION Out of sheer curiosity, I opened YouTube and watched Eric Zemmour’s campaign video for the 2022 presidential elections. Filled to the brim with nostalgia for a France that never was and apocalyptic warnings, the Beethoven symphony playing in the background was at least soothing. Ten minutes is a long time, especially […]
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Queerphobic violence in French homes: a preventable and unseen tragedy of the pandemic
Support Politika News on Patreon CN: this article contains detailed discussion of homophobia, queerphobia, transphobia, murder and queerphobic violence CN: this article mentions rape and homophobic slurs OPINION Over this past year of lockdowns and restrictions, French LGBTQ+ rights organisation SOS Homophobie reported a rise in the number of queerphobic attacks taking place within the supposed safety […]
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Remembering the Paris Commune and its unsung anarchist heroine, Louise Michel: an interview with historian, Naomi Clifford
Support Politika News on Patreon. INTERVIEW As 2021 commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Paris Commune, historian Naomi Clifford turns her investigative eye to the life of an unsung anarchist heroine from France’s Haute-Marne: Louise Michel. Following her recent lecture on Michel (in collaboration with Tate South Lambeth Library) Naomi managed to pluck time out […]
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Neo-Nazism in the armed forces: France’s latest military scandal is symptomatic of its complacency over the far right
CN: this article mentions far-right slurs OPINION An investigation led by Mediapart has revealed that at least 50 soldiers from various regiments of the French army have been found displaying neo-Nazi behaviour, in a pattern becoming worryingly more ubiquitous in the Hexagone. Behaviours included the displaying of the swastika ensign in barracks, photographs with flags of […]
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Neglected state schools and far-right rhetoric: Macron’s legacy will be defined by his vanity politics
OPINION The quality of state schools in France has become so poor that working-class parents are turning to bursaries at Catholic private schools for their children’s education. As the government passes its ‘Islamist separatism’ law, these parents from France’s quartiers are battling a festering yet seemingly unacknowledged form of socio-economic segregation that threatens their children’s educational […]
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Graines Populaires: an interview with the eco movement empowering France’s working class
INTERVIEW As the climate crisis continues to threaten the world’s most vulnerable communities and future generations, new visions for enacting change are blossoming around the globe. A testament of this is Graines Populaires, a non-profit organisation shaking up the fight to protect our planet. Dedicating itself to equipping local, working-class communities with the tools needed […]
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Macron’s new government ditches LREM’s left-wing pretences
OPINION After the municipal elections in June, Emmanuel Macron’s government reshuffle has heralded the appearance of a number of “Sarkozyistes” : a Prime Minister (Jean Castex) who was Deputy Secretary General to Nicolas Sarkozy, a Home Secretary (Gérard Darmanin) who refers to the former President as a mentor, a Culture Minister (Franck Riester) who served […]
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