France: Racism and fascism (3)
01 January 1991
France: Racism and fascism
artdoc April=1995
Euro-election results
In the Euro-elections, the National Front obtained 10.5% of the
vote, down 1.2% from its previous score. But newcomers, L'Autre
Europe, led by the ultra-Conservative Catholic candidate, Philipe
de Villiers, obtained 12.5% of the vote, giving it 13 seats at
Strasbourg. According to the Jewish Chronicle, `the anti-
immigration and anti-European programme of Mr. de Villiers list
- which includes the Anglo-French business magnate Sir James
Goldsmith and Charles de Gaulle, the grandson of General de
Gaulle - has deprived Le Pen of his monopoly on the right-wing
anti-Maastricht ticket'. L`Autre Europe was set up by Philipe de
Villiers following his split from the Union for French Democracy
(UFD).
After the vote, Bernard Kouchner, a former socialist
humanitarian aid minister, said that France had shifted further
to the right than ever (Guardian 10,13,18, 6.94).
L'Autre Europe forms new Euro-parliament group
Sir James Goldsmith has announced the formation of a new group,
`Europe of the Nations', at Strasbourg linking L'Autre Europe
with four Euro-sceptical Danish MEPs and two members of the
Dutch reformists, a party that bans women from running for
office. He has complained that members of his new group are to
be placed on the extreme-Right of the debating chamber, next to
Jean-Marie Le Pen. According to Goldsmith, `European politics was
no longer a battle between Left and Right; the real divide was
between those for and against the Maastricht treaty' (Guardian
18.7.94).
New legislation on distribution of racist materials
The Ministry of Justice is to put forward a bill aimed at
combating the dissemination of racist materials and to tie up the
loose ends on present legislation on incitement to racial hatred.
The bill will allow for a longer period in which to bring
prosecutions and increased penalties for those found guilty. It
also introduces a special category of indirect incitement, a new
offence of `slander or abuse on racial grounds' and the category
of `crimes against humanity' will be expanded. New powers of
search and arrest will be granted to aid the prosecution of those
who disseminate racist materials (Libération 19.4.94).
IRR European Race Audit, Bulletin no 10, September 1994. Contact:
Liz Fekete, Institute of Race Relations, 2-6 Leeke Street, London
WC1X 9HS. Tel: 0171 837 0041