Adam Sage in Grigny
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Koné Jaoussou stood in a doorway on the infamous Grande Borne council estate, shaking his head at the prospect of a victory for Nicolas Sarkozy in the French presidential election.
“If Sarkozy wins this place is going to explode again,” said the 28-year-old immigrant from Mali as he recalled the violence that rocked La Grande Borne in 2005 and again last year. “There’ll be riots here and in the suburbs all over France.”
Mr Jaoussou’s views are shared widely among the 11,000 people who live on the bleak 1970s estate in Grigny, outside Paris, the home to 52 different nationalities.
Many say that the youths, who have come to see Mr Sarkozy as a figure of hate, would greet his election with a fresh round of firebomb attacks on cars, buses and the police.
Similar rumours have been circulating on other troubled suburban estates and senior police officers appear to be taking them seriously.
Privately they say they are preparing for clashes if Mr Sarkozy is elected on May 6.
“We have to be ready for these gangs to demonstrate like they do on New Year’s Eve,” one high ranking officer told Le Figaro, referring to the street battles that have become an annual ritual in the suburbs.
Zair Issa, 18, who is also from Mali, agreed on the likelihood of a violent response to the election of the centre-right candidate as he joined in the conversation with Mr Jaoussou. Wearing dark glasses, a large metal chain and a T-shirt with the words “Ghetto Class” across the chest, he said that the hardline former Interior Minister was viewed as the enemy by youths in France’s immigrant communities. “It’s because of him that we get police identity checks all the time,” he said. “It’s oppressive.”
Jean-François Charmand, 38, a painter and decorator with flip-flops on his feet and a cannabis joint in his hand, said that Mr Sarkozy’s crackdown on crime had served to unleash police brutality on ethnic minorities.
“If Sarkozy’s elected it’s going to be chaos,” he said, fingering a multi-coloured necklace. “We’re going to have even more police coming after les blacks and even less freedom than we do now.”
Mr Sarkozy’s image in la banlieue is used by his opponents as proof that he would be unable to heal the rifts within French society.
Their attempt to portray him as a dangerously divisive figure will be one of the keys to the election.
However, on La Grande Borne estate — where only 44 per cent of adults are in work — there was evidence to support his claim that France needs radical change.
Cats scavenged on rubbish uncollected on the pavements. A burnt-out car was visible in the car park. And a young woman sat on a table outside one of the council blocks.
“Don’t talk to her,” said a youth standing in a doorway.
The teenager — probably a spotter for a gang that pays him to alert drug dealers to the arrival of police — approached menacingly. “Get away,” he said.
Mr Jaoussou said that the youth was typical of a generation that had adopted a ghetto mentality.
“The young people around here feel rejected and you can understand why,” he said. “As far as the French are concerned blacks are fit only to be cleaners and manual workers.”
Press applause
““France has saved the Left. . . France has chosen clarity. The affront of
April 21, 2002, has been erased”
Libération (referring to Jean-Marie Le Pen’s breakthrough in 2002)
“The memory of that episode was enough to prevent a repeat” Le Figaro
“French voters have taken to this presidential election with a gusto verging on a voraciousness that has never been seen since the first election of this type in 1965” France Soir
“This time there will be no sense of frustration on the eve of the second round. People will have the means to make a clear choice. . . The country will discover what direction it has chosen, and what direction it must now take” Le Monde
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Don't forget that we are all people of the world. Soon this little tiny planet will be too small for us all. Here we are fighting about whether immigration is good or bad. It is. Period. And will always be. It is what humans do when the conditions are too difficult in one place, they move to the next. We are all immigrants from somewhere. The US is a nation of Immigrants and before them the native indians came from somewhere else too. As for France, it has always been at the crossroads of many nations, tribes, races, you name it. But at least France is still a democratic country in which people can vote and express their opinions and even now and then go down into the streets and express some more. It's been like this since the French revolution. The French cannot stand for injustice, slavery and unfairness. And they are often very loud about it. We have our few extreemists on both sides, but the majority believe in the values:liberty, equality, fraternity.
DaisyJane, Paris, france
Half of the French nation is scared to attend Mr Sarkozy after the general election. We don't want to leave with the incarnation of Maggie here in France, think of us in Britain, all the best
Levallois, st nazaire, france
I am optimistic that France will continue to be the great republic it has shown the world to be, regardless of the winner in these 2007 elections. The French culture is the easiest and most appealing culture for immigrants to assimilate into. Born in the U.S.A. of immigrant parents, I have yet to feel welcomed in my own country. I have recently returned from France, after two years, and I am proud to say that the European French welcomed and embraced me into their lives as well as I welcomed and embraced the French culture and way of life.
Vive La Republique Francaise.
Armando Arestegui, New York, USA
Blacks and other non-whites favor immigrating to European countries because thats where the White people are. And when things don't go their way they erupt into violence.
On European Americans United homepage we say the following:
In any given nation, cultures and civilizations are the result of the experience of the basic foundational people and their values. In Europe and European-derived nations like America, our people are under the demographic threat of unchecked Third World immigration and the consequent destruction of our unique way of life. As more and more Third World immigrants pour across our borders in America and Europe, they will unquestionably change our traditions, our cultures, and even our forms of government.
Our ideals of democracy, individual freedom, and personal responsibility are unique and exist in no other peoples of the world; we wish to preserve these ideals and pass them along to future generations of our European Americans.
Frank Roman, Dixie Junction, USA
France should have elected Le Pen. He has been right on immigration matters for 30 years or more. Sarkozy is a con artist just like Mrs Thatcher was with her 'hardline' remarks about immigration prior to the 1979 general election. After she used the immigration card to get elected, her government did precious little to control immigration. I fear the great country of France has made a big mistake and is now destined to become Europe's first Islamic Republic. I hope the British people choose wisely in the upcoming local elections here.
Barry, Brentwood, United Kingdom
I hope there will be violence. The French need a rude awakening to see what their exalted "liberalism" has brought them...
Louise B, London, UK
Dear Baskar if for you living in a very isolated way,getting married only inside your community mean good integration,for me it is not.If Chinese and Indians are very quiet,they are also very closed."Immigration ruins democracy" and what else??France has welcomed waves of immigrants,Jews,Polish,Italians,Spanish,Portuguese,Chinese,Vietnamese,Algerians,Malians,Senegalese
...They vitalize this country.It is just an article about few people who talk about the discrimination,the fact that if you are black or brown you will be controlled by the police very often.And Helen you called them Barbarians, I mean us,because my mother is white and my father is black.So why not put all the "Barbarians" in some camps,like during the third Reich?And Will from DC,the gangs wars in L.A are not really a model.
BERRE, Perth, Australia
By his enemies shall you know him. Vive Sarko indeed.
Benjamin, Glos,
Its nice to see that some people understand the situation. Vive Sarko!!!!
NOWAK, london, uk
Hey Will from D.C., it's true that immigration seems to be ruining democracy, but:
-Most of these people got here before we opened our borders
-They come from Africa and we didn't open E.U. borders (Guess what?! Africa isn't in Europe!)
-I went to Mc Donald's in your country. Ordering in Spanish was fun.
Sebastien, Paris, France
"Youths"? "Blacks"? Simply amazing! Not one word, not one mention of a certain religion that begins with "I" and ends with "slam"?
Eurabia is doomed to a new "dark Age" and I am NOT referring to the color of people's skin. Islam is opposed to the advances of the Enlightenment and the emasculated European no longer has the ability or desire to fight it. A pity.
Marshall, Oklahoma City, USA
Many non-white immigrants in France (Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Indians etc) have adapted themselves well, into the French society, but not the blacks or arabs. Perhaps they and their apologists should ask the question "WHY".
Baskar, Paris ,
If immigrants disapprove of democracy, they should go back in their own countries.
To think that so many of them claim 'political asylum' to come and live here, and can't be deported back after serving a jail term because of the situation in their countries.
84.5% of French voters took part in this election: there's no way a small minority of scums who live on the dole and often don't even have the French nationality (or a visa...) are going to rule this country.
Who's dangerous, Sarkozy, or such barbarians who threaten retaliation if French people don't vote the way they want?
Helene, Paris,
Wow. This is modern France? Immigration has ruined democracy. Nothing, the right or the left can save France now. I can only imagine it will get worse when the native French are minorities in their own country. Then again, they deserve this since they opened their borders.
Will, D.C., USA
How come it is immigrants who are threatening violence? Why move to a civilized western country if you cannot deal with the democratic way of electing officials?
This threat of violence everytime something doesn't go their way is becoming very tiresome...never mind bloody dangerous.
izzie, cornwall,