Racism jibe from French Interior Minister ?

britexpat
By britexpat

The French Interior Minister faced calls for his resignation last night after he was caught on camera making apparently racist remarks directed at Arabs.

He insisted that he had not been talking about Arabs, as many had assumed, but about Auvergnats — people from the Auvergne region of central France.

“The question is not whether he should resign or not, but what he is still doing in the government,” Benoit Hamon, a spokesman for the opposition Socialist Party, said.

The incident happened at a summer congress of the ruling centre-right Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) in Seignosse, southwest France, last weekend. Mr Hortefeux is seen in the video posing for a photograph alongside Amine Benalia-Brouch, a member of UMP whose father is Algerian and mother Portuguese.

An unidentified woman says, apparently in reference to Mr Benalia-Brouch’s Muslim background: “He eats pork and he drinks beer.”

Mr Hortefeux, 51, cuts in amid laughter as a group of party activists look on: “He doesn’t fit the prototype at all. Not at all. We always need one. When there’s one, that’s all right. It’s when there a lot of them that there are problems.”

The comment went unnoticed until the video was sent to Le Monde, the French daily newspaper, which posted it on its website last night.

Article :

By anonymous• 11 Sep 2009 13:17
anonymous

Crapcirlce I'm still very curious, which of my topics were offensive? How am I supposed to learn if I don't know what I had done wrong.

By thalib01• 11 Sep 2009 13:07
thalib01

the french minister happened to mention about some prototype.. what is this prototype he is referring to..?

what actually is a muslim prototype?

By crapcircle• 11 Sep 2009 13:05
crapcircle

It's about the tidbit that follows, namely, this:

“He doesn’t fit the prototype at all. Not at all. We always need one. When there’s one, that’s all right. It’s when there a lot of them that there are problems.”

By crapcircle• 11 Sep 2009 13:04
Rating: 3/5
crapcircle

The law states that the employer may not hold your passport. Not only this country's but international law. I'd never work for someone who would "hold my passport". That is a sacrifice I would not be prepared to make. If I would not receive an exit permit, I would go to the labour department, file a complaint, find a lawyer and sue my employer ;)

If some of your topics were not offensive they wouldn't have been moderated ;)

By Stone Cold• 11 Sep 2009 12:56
Stone Cold

Is that all the comment on eating pork and drinking beer that set up the bomb blast. A diety comment is all about the choice of diet, nothing to do with religion. That French minister has every right to say that especially that its in France.

By anonymous• 11 Sep 2009 12:43
anonymous

Tell that to the expats who want to leave and need an exit permit. Tell that to the expats whose employers keep their passports..... they are free to go anytime they like of course....

As for the post I have no problem that he posted it, I was just questioning why he would do it.

Please also let me know who I verbally offended. I'm very confused by that statement.

By crapcircle• 11 Sep 2009 12:29
Rating: 2/5
crapcircle

We're here to discuss facts and truths, sometimes even lies and brutal fallacy, but when someone western makes a misstep you call it "stirring up trouble" yet when you verbally offend people and the mods censor you, you cry foul. Funny s**t.

Besides your argument regarding slaves and expatriates, the whole analogy is riddled with fail. If any expatriate doesn't like what he's getting he can leave, or not come in the first place. Ignorance is no excuse. Sure, the system is exploitative, no different to what multinationals do in the subcontinent and other areas with economic problems. Monkey see, monkey do. I don't see what the big deal is about, besides some elementary manners that in the end, some noble employers still exhibit even if the general trend is not worthy of praise at all.

By drsam• 11 Sep 2009 12:28
drsam

now racism against not local is legal?

Oh, people can come up with statistics to prove anything, Kent. 14% of people know that.

By anonymous• 11 Sep 2009 11:08
Rating: 2/5
anonymous

I thought Qatar did talk about democracy? (Again delayed a few more years until the citizens are ready...) It also talks about Human Rights, (as does the UAE) and has a Human Rights commission. As part of that charter is equality.

Humans are humans and this man will lose his job over his comments. Defending accusations of discrimination by saying we don't sign up for human rights, freedome of expression, freedom to elect your own leaders is shocking.

It would be like me defending the slave trade saying that to us they were expatriates and did not have the same rights.

By verisimilitude• 11 Sep 2009 11:01
Rating: 4/5
verisimilitude

the difference is that the countries on this side of the world don't sound the drums of democracy, equality, secularism etc. etc. etc...

They have some humility about their hypocrisy

Unlike certain other countries which have still to come to terms with their identity...

As for your example... Indians, Palestinians and Pakistanis are expatriates... not nationals and therefore, they may be treated differently... whereas Mr. Hortefeux is talking about the same French nationals who voted him to power.

I think this is a very relevant post by Britexpat, shows exactly how the powers that be think...

By anonymous• 11 Sep 2009 10:53
Rating: 3/5
anonymous

Pointless post Britexpat. No question he should go but why post this? To stir up trouble.

Take the phrase he used

“When there’s one, that’s all right. It’s when there a lot of them that there are problems.”

and instead of French minister subsitute Gulf Arab government minister talking about Indians in the Gulf or Palenstinians or Pakistanis....

Difference here is that the discrimation is enshrined in law and the government minister will not lose his job he will be congratulated.

By crapcircle• 11 Sep 2009 10:03
crapcircle

that's equal opportunity, even if the ethnic minorities are actually photoshopped into the advertisement :D

By britexpat• 11 Sep 2009 09:58
britexpat

I especially love the routine of including a few ethnic minorities in the front row of photo shoots..

By crapcircle• 11 Sep 2009 09:55
Rating: 4/5
crapcircle

especially when they're "diet compatible" :P. Ah the qualifications, "if you want to join our party you has to eat this bacon & egg biscuit" :P

Politics is full of inept morons. The most crucial field attracts only the worst of people lately.

By britexpat• 11 Sep 2009 09:43
britexpat

It's aways good to have token minorities in government :O)

By crapcircle• 11 Sep 2009 09:27
crapcircle

again at their fascist antics. What's new? There's always gonna be a Le Pen wannabe somewhere in their right-wingers heads :P

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