Jean-François Copé et le "racisme anti-blanc" en France
This article is in French. Click here to read it in English.
Secrétaire général de l’UMP depuis 2010 et candidat à sa propre succession, Jean-François Copé défend une droite française décomplexée, c’est-à-dire, une droite « républicaine, moderne et libérée du politiquement correct, cet ordre établi imposé par la gauche bien-pensante pour assurer sa domination ». Dans cet esprit, M. Copé évoque le concept de « racisme anti-blanc » et crée la polémique.
Fin septembre, Jean-François Copé évoque, dans la sphère publique, le racisme anti-blanc. Selon le quotidien Le Monde, le candidat à la présidence de l’UMP souhaiterait « briser un tabou » et reconnaître les difficultés des personnes blanches dans les cités.
Dans son livre, ‘Manifeste pour une droite décomplexée’, il écrit « un racisme anti-blanc se développe dans les quartiers de nos villes où des individus – dont certains ont la nationalité française – méprisent des Français qualifiés de ‘Gaulois‘ au prétexte qu’ils n’ont pas la même religion, la même couleur de peau ou les mêmes origines qu’eux ».
Une idée du Front National français ?
D’après Le Figaro, le concept de racisme anti-Français, et par extension de racisme anti-blanc est apparu pour la première fois en 1984, dans les statuts de l’Alliance générale contre le racisme et pour le respect de l’identité française et chrétienne, une association d’extrême droite.
Une idée reprise par Jean-Marie Le Pen un an plus tard et par sa fille en 2012. Lors d’une interview télévisée, Marine Le Pen, leader politique du Front National, critique la nomination de la ministre Christine Taubira et accuse le parti socialiste français d’être incapable de « lutter contre l’explosion du racisme anti-blanc ».
M. Copé ne s’attendait certainement pas à créer une polémique aussi importante. Naturellement, on lui reproche de servir de porte-voix au Front National en reprenant une de leurs idées. Ce dernier s’en défend en affirmant que « personne n’est propriétaire ni des mots, ni des idées ».
Pour Marine Le Pen, l’occasion est trop belle. Elle revient sur le devant de la scène avec humour et ironise sur la radio française, RTL, en évoquant le « Copé-Coller » du secrétaire général de l’UMP. La frontiste ajoute également ne pas croire en la sincérité de Jean-François Copé.
Un idée partagée par la droite française
Malgré la controverse, Jean-François Copé reçoit tout de même le soutien infaillible de son parti. Son rival et collègue, François Fillon, affirmait récement : « Non, ça ne me choque pas, il décrit une situation qui est réelle ».
Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, tout comme Brice Hortefeux, émet quelques réserves mais admet qu’il existe « des tensions entre communautés » en France. Face à cette déferlante médiatique, une question demeure.
Devons-nous, comme le suggère M. Copé, briser le tabou ou est-ce politiquement (trop) incorrect?
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Références :
1. Copé et le “racisme anti-Blancs” : la gauche dénonce des “propos très graves”, LeMonde.fr.
2. Le racisme anti-Blanc, un concept hérité du FN, Le Figaro.fr.
3. Marine Le Pen veut une loi contre le racisme anti-blanc, 20minutes.fr.
4. Marine Le Pen sur RTL : “Racisme anti-blanc : c’est du Copé-collé”, RTL.fr.
5. “Racisme anti-blanc” : NKM n’aime pas le terme, BFMTV.
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Image Credits:
1. Jean François Copé, by FAYOLLE PASCAL/SIPA, via LePlus
2. Marine Le Pen, by MaxPPP, via Europe1.fr
3. Manifeste pour une droite décomplexée, couverture, via Booknode
About the Contributor
Julie Gourichon
France is a country where is possible to debate about controversial subjects. Why not this one ?
The idea of ‘anti-white rascism’ is ridiculous to me. In the words of Xavier Toby, “That’s because you can’t pick on people in a position of power. And at the moment [in Australia] that’s the white people. Racism is a form of oppression, and you can’t oppress the people in charge.”
There is a lot of tension between people in France particularly those who originate from different countries. This tension is a reality and we all need to discuss that. You need to live in France to understand how concerned we are with this kind of issue.
I don’t agree with you Hella. There are some areas in France where white people are in minority now. And in these places, an anti-white racism can be seen, sadly.
So regarding the reality (and I say that because I’ve seen it with my own eyes), we should freely discuss about it. After all, it is a kind of racism like any other one. I don’t understand why it is a problem to talk about it…
“After all, it is a kind of racism like any other one.” politically incorrect but true and you’re right, we shouldn’t be blamed for dealing with it.
I don’t think talking about it is a problem – I think it’s a good thing. But are these so-called ‘white-minorities’ actually being opressed? Are they being silenced and persecuted? Denied jobs, denied assistance? I’m not going to pretend I know the first thing about the French situation, but all I’ve heard so far sounds like a white privelege thing – white people getting upset because minorities are calling them names. Minorities in France have had to deal with a lot worse than being called ‘Gaulois’. Cry me a damn river. No, rascism in any form is never ok, but what Copé’s talking about is frankly the least of France’s race problems. It must be nice for him, living in the whitest, richest area of Paris and whining about how people of colour are being mean to him.
Look, when it’s some right-wing guy who has probably been racist more times that you can count saying that racism against white people exists, it’s dubious. And hypocritical.
The thing is that discrimination should not happen against anyone, regardless. This is too idealistic, sure – but each and every human being has the right to demand to be treated fairly.
But you have to be careful that by calling the ‘anti-white racism’ card, you aren’t doing it just to be racist against non-whites, and accuse them unfairly. Admittedly, the term ‘anti-white racism’ is used for this purpose far too often. So, in a way, I agree with you Hella mostly.
I appreciate the way in France there is always healthy and respectful discussion about what are very difficult issues. All to often in Australia and elsewhere, these issues are tucked under the carpet. I believe that there is such a thing as ‘anti-white racism’. I also believe that its possibile to understand this issue even without being in France. It does however take a real ability to try to put yourself in the shoes of others. I realise of course that imagining and empathy can never replace what others experience. Having been born in and living in other conditions makes it very difficult to understand the depth of issues in other countries. This however does not stop us from having an opinion. I like to think though that people take the time to try to be informed.
In discussion such as these comments encourage, please be respectful of other cultures.
Thank you.
Judy
Je pense que dans les quartiers où les “blancs” sont minoritaires, ce problème peut effectivement existé. Cependant, c’est une volonté de Copé de nous la faire à l’envers. Victimiser les blancs et diaboliser les non-blancs. Il dénonce un phénomène minoritaire dans un but purement politique. Je trouve ça malhonnête de sa part.
Here’s an interesting article from France 24 from one of their blogs on the subject: http://beyond.blogs.france24.com/article/2012/09/26/anti-white-racism-jean-francois-cope-ump-france-national-front-fillon-0
And another from rfi: http://english.rfi.fr/france/20120927-right-wing-leader-claims-anti-white-racism-growing-france
And, an article published on My French Life speaking with some French people about identity & immigration in France: http://myfrenchlife.org/2012/07/09/french-perspective-identity-immigration/
Oki, I’d want to tell that what Hella says is so obvious, and yes of course it’s ridiculous to talk about anti-white racism, which is just mistaking of the name of the phenomenon.
I talk of this as an insider I may say. I lived inside Paris but I’ve teach for long years in the suburbs, and after that I’ve been in industries and business. Anyone being dismissed or discriminated because he was white I never saw it. The reverse I saw it all the times!
Let me tell you some lived anecdote at time I was proposing high level outsourcing of engineers to companies of the biggest French industry. When we didn’t had the right person available in our staff we had to hire a new engineer for the new mission, and of course we were subordinated to our client acceptation of the profile, which normally should have to be chosen on no other grounds than competence. And of course our clients had no right to stipulate anything else on their mission profile than the skills they were waiting for, nothing about gender, color, etc… but a majority were voicing it on phone anyway, and they even had a funny expression (well I guess they found it so) for that. They were saying: “Vous m’avez compris, blond aux yeux bleus!” Was it meaning that our engineer had to be a blue-eyed blond guy or girl? No, but it the short cut they had found to make us understand that he had to be neither black, neither North African. And if I had in front of me a black guy with the perfect resume and skills, I was just stopped from hiring him, because my client wouldn’t take him. That, you can call racism! And I’m sorry but I never saw it happen be it only once the other way around. So let’s not mistake if the level of unemployment is higher among black and North Africans in France, it’s not only because they are from humble origins where they often can’t afford paying for studies. It’s also because the ones who worked so hard to make it in schools and university are confronted to a real discrimination. One that I witnessed for years and years!
So yes Mr Coppé, dont try to make me cry a damn river, what happens in the suburbs ghettos, where all is abandoned and not a single damn elevator is working is of another nature. It’s not racism, it’s the bitter reaction (and I don’t say that it hasn’t to be condemned, of course) of the ones who have nothing and find themselves in clusters of the same origins, because the most humble are among them. They just feel that they are not equal to others and for that they instinctively stick together. And meanwhile people have to know that the wealthy cities are constantly breaking the laws fixing the rate of HLM (housing project) and prefer to pay big penalties than to let black or North African people leave near them, in affordable apartments that they refuse to build. Again, where is the real “racism?”
Je suis d’accord avec François Roland. Je trouve ça malhonnête de vouloir victimiser les “blancs” alors que c’est un phénomène minoritaire et rare. Les problèmes dans les quartiers existent. Les tensions sociales et communautaires existent. Mais il convient de se demander d’où ils viennent? Les “non blancs”, les personnes noirs, colorées ou d’origine maghrébine entendent beaucoup plus d’insultes et font face à beaucoup plus de discrimination que les blancs.
Jean François Copé ici ne cherche qu’à faire de l’électoralisme et à séduire les militants UMP les plus à droite. Son approche est regrettable et malsaine. C’est de l’hypocrisie et ça attise les tensions. Il répète le schéma de Nicolas Sarkozy qui divisait pour mieux régner. Tous les deux dénoncent le communautarisme mais le renforcent aussi avec ce genre de déclaration.
Cette histoire de racisme anti-blanc ou même de pain au chocolat volé est ridicule et c’est irresponsable de la part de dirigeants politiques.
Je ne suis absolument pas d’accord avec toi Julie. Ce n’est pas parce que le phénomène de “racisme anti-blanc” est minoritaire que l’on aurait pas le droit d’en parler! Cette “histoire de racisme anti-blanc” ce n’est absolument pas “ridicule” (pour reprendre ton propos), car elle existe.
De plus, je trouve cela courageux d’aborder le sujet, qui pour moi, est un sujet comme un autre parmi tant d’autres.
I agree with François – “They just feel that they are not equal to others and for that they instinctively stick together.”
Where did this feeling of insecurity come from originally? From the racism they experienced upon first arriving in France.
“Where did this feeling of insecurity come from originally? From the racism they experienced upon first arriving in France.” No, the problems come from the 3rd generation so they didn’t experience that. There wasn’t any problem with the first generation. Another explanation?
But how we see other people often comes from the generations before us.
And also, do you think they are simply racist because they can be? The truth is – as François explained perfectly in his comment – they do still experience discrimination!
We have to look at the ‘why’ behind people’s actions – it helps to explain a lot. Though, I am aware this does not justify it.
However, until we try to understand things from another person’s point of view, we will never move forward.
So why white people would be racist ? Only because they can be ? Does this argument work in the opposite according to you ?
White people are sadly often racist “just because they can be” – but the view that this racism is okay has come from society, from their family and friends. Ideas do not just come from nowhere. They always have a root.
Thank you Hannah for backing what I try to explain and that some people definitely don’t want to hear let alone see.
This story of anti-white racism in France is simply ludicrous because the mere fact is that in our country while it’s a drawback to be black or from North African roots, in so many situations (getting a job, getting an apartment, or simply entering a night club!) it’s not for a white man, period!
The sad truth is that France is a country where racism and xenophobia are thriving for quite a long time. And if it were not this way, ugly minded people like Le Pen family wouldn’t score so high at the very moment when they are fuelling the lowest instincts of fear and hatred, of their French compatriots. Sarkozy did the same during his campaign and that exactly what brought him so close to his opponent, despite a distasteful presidency continuously in favor of the wealthy.
I have so many examples of this discrimination which push these people to stick together and be defensive while I know they’d want nothing more than integrating with the whole nation. And my better cases in hand, I take them among those who did absolutely everything by the book, to just be equal to others in the Republique, and still saw that they were denied this elementary right.
Once in my computer science company, I was called by a girl (a trainee in another company) who was proposing some services. She said “hello, I’m Claire Dumont, …” and she made her offer very professionally, with the voice of someone very skilled and educated. We had several phone calls and although I didn’t need what she offered we entered in sympathy and since our offices were close we decided to have one of our lunches together. Meeting a “Miss Claire Dumont”, I was waiting for a classic white French girl, but was a little surprised to discover a girl of absolutely full North African roots (Morocco as I learned after), and luminously beautiful by the way. On a humorous tone I said: “And you are named Claire Dumont?” And Safia (it was her real first name) said to me that the company where she was a trainee didn’t allow her to keep her name to be calling their clients! Safia was not only beautiful, she was very clever and had graduated a French school for engineers, and yet she told me what assault course it always was for her to make it as her white equals would do so easily. No surprise that she chose to have her big schools enterprise projects in foreign countries, and no surprise either that she had to go to an English consulting company to be finally hired, for the exact level that she had reached by her hard work.
So, aside the school boy who was stolen his “pain au chocolat” by a muslim during Ramadan time (which by the way happened in July and August, when schools are closed?), I still wait for reports on white French being discriminated for being white!
Well the truth is I know some “white French” being discriminated, but not because they are white, just because they are female!
J’ai pas dit qu’on avait pas le droit d’en parler. Mais venant de Jean-François Copé, c’est juste insultant. J’ai admis que ce phénomène puisse exister. Je nuance simplement en le qualifiant de “rare” et “minoritaire”, ce qu’il est.
Ces blancs sont donc traités de “gaulois” selon Copé. C’est l’insulte suprême. Quand les non blancs se font dire qu’ils puent, qu’ils sont sales, que ce sont de la vermine ou des voleurs…c’est vraiment beaucoup moins grave que d’être insulté de “gaulois”. Franchement, je crois qu’il faut quand même relativiser. Je sais que ça existe et c’est malheureux comme toute sorte de racisme. Mais les blancs ne sont pas les plus malheureux en France. Le racisme envers les personnes issues de l’immigration se retrouve dans tous les pans de la société. Ils font face au racisme à l’école, au travail, dans les administrations, dans les entreprises, dans les boites de nuit. Les blancs n’ont pas à faire face à tout ça. Faut arrêter. Copé réussit exactement ce qu’il a voulu déclencher. C’est à dire, une victimisation des blancs.
C’est extrêmement malhonnête et pas du tout courageux de sa part. C’est lâche et manipulateur de chercher à diviser. Les blancs, frustrés par le chômage et pas la crise, vont sauter sur l’occasion pour dire “vous voyez ce qu’on vit.” et pour diaboliser les non-blancs “ils sont la cause de tous nos problèmes”.
C’est trop facile de mettre la faute sur l’immigration ou les personnes issus de l’immigration. Comme ça, on se focalise pas sur les VRAIS problèmes. Le racisme anti-blanc n’en est pas un. Comme la viande halal n’en était pas un pendant la campagne électorale. C’est juste une stratégie électoraliste.
“Comme ça, on se focalise pas sur les VRAIS problèmes. Le racisme anti-blanc n’en est pas un. Comme la viande halal n’en était pas un pendant la campagne électorale. C’est juste une stratégie électoraliste.”
–> Exactly.