|
 Parisian tragedy The land of Descartes is poorer today April 22, 2002 The Iranian Paris is quieter and sombre today. The view from my window is bleak. Sacre- coeur at a distant, as I watch lying in my bed, even looks like chronicling its dissent; Paris is not the same tonight, it is not a vivacious town tonight. The west bank hide out of the Parisian intellectuals, Caf'eux Magot was deserted tonight, the very place that had seen Mitterand plotting his next elections soon after even the first was over was devoid of intellectuals discussing every plausible intrigue and dimension of a debate. In a corner sat my friend of two decades Didier, as we ordered the third cup of espresso he could only utter "all discussions are dead today." For months, polls had consistently projected that Chirac and Jospin would finish in the top two spots. In a shock result Chirac, a conservative, polled19.54 percent of the vote, Le Pen an extreme rightist 17.26 percent and Jospin a leftist with 15.9 percent. By virtue of this shock result, Chirac and Le Pen graduate to the next round. What an Irony! The very country that supported a campaign to impose sanctions against Austria in February 2000 for including the ultra-right Freedom Party in its government is now facing a serious threat of a serious build-up of right wing. Today Le Pen, notorious for once describing the Holocaust as "a detail'' of history, is a man who is going to face Chirac in the second round of the French elections. Le Pen's victory has provoked astonishment from the French people. "That's not possible,'' said Jessica Sibier, 21, a student in Paris. "It's unbelievable .We were all expecting a contest between Jospin and Chirac. '' Jerome Didier, 26, said he hadn't voted Sunday but would do so in the next round. "It's scandalous,'' said Jerome. "I've always been anti-vote. Now I'm going to vote in the second round to make sure that Le Pen doesn't become becoming president.''  On a Eurostar 1407 train leaving London for Paris
on Sunday evening, travellers exclaimed in disbelief after the election result was
announced. Le Pen, who virulently opposes immigration and has been accused during
his long political career of racism and anti-Semitism, was in second place with more
than 95 percent of the vote counted, defeating Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin.The fact that Le Pen got close to 18% of the popular vote and Chirac around 20% is an indication that racial powers are on the rise in France and possible in Europe. Le Pen's victory could cut both ways. Known for his anti-immigrant views, it is conceivable that the French decided to cast an anti-Arab vote? They certainly don't love their unruly and unassimilated Arabs (with the exception of Zidane), who are now nearly 10% of the population, but casting an anti Arab vote also meant legitimising the EUROPE'S biggest Nazi party and undoubtedly it has long been France's National Front, led by Jean-Marie Le Pen. Jews may have supported Le Pen in the first round for the sake of him being so anti-Arab but he is equally anti-Semitic. Jean Marie Le Pen, the leader of the National Front, has often spoken about the presence of so many Jews at key crossroads of the country. 'The Jews hold the most senior positions in print journalism,' he once said, 'in the electronic media, in academia and in the economy and have questioned as leader of the far right as to how did they get so rich?' The fragmented and infighting of the Left helped propel Le Pen to win the first round but the second round the odds are stacked against him. It is not important as to the extent of Chirac's victory but extreme right will certainly get a huge boost in Europe from this victory. Joerg Haider and Le Pen, his exceptional political come back, is not an ordinary event in a Europe that is trying hard to become United States of Europe. In the next round on April 4th, I see a real of possibility of a previously unthinkable unholy alliance between France's 10% Arab immigrants, the powerful Jewish lobby, Left and Liberals united by a common purpose to defeat Le Pen. Le Pen himself has a long personal history on the far right. As a student he was a great admirer of Marshal P'in, who ran the Nazi approved regime in non-occupied France during World War Two. Le Pen was a Poujadist (extreme right wing) deputy in the French National Assembly in the 1950s, and fought against anti-colonialists in Algeria. Active in far right politics throughout the 1960s, he helped found the National Front in 1972. Anyone who doubts what the National Front stands for should recall that in the 1980s Le Pen boasted that the Holocaust was "a mere detail of history". He has refused to withdraw that remark, and made many more similar statements since. In 1998 he publicly argued that he believed in the "inequality of races" and he has made repeated anti-Semitic comments on French TV.  Today, a shocked Jospin announced he would retire
from political life immediately after the presidential election, which ends with
the May 5 runoff. It is expected that Chirac will beat Le Pen 72-28% but what a tragedy
that extremist like Le Pen can garner a second round place is a poor prognosis for
humanity. Extremists taking power in the third world is a concern for the entire
European elite but neo-nazis rising star is a disturbing sign for an integrated Europe
that has colossal ambitions and a common currency. A country that has values rooted in egalitarianism, liberty and fraternity cannot afford Le Pen's election victory, albeit in the first round, as it is a contradiction to its very foundation and idealism on which the 5th Republic is based upon. I am disheartened that the sacred land of Descartes, Voltaire, Diderot, Victor Hugo, Jean Jacques Rousseau is caught up in a regressive political thought process. The very land where Social contract was authored and liberty was nurtured with most precious of gift of God deserves so much more. As I jog down in early morning along the river Seine and go past the Museum Louvre looking towards perhaps the greatest avenue in the world, Champs Elysee's, I cannot help but ask myself whether we are seeing the undoing of liberty and egalitarianism in Europe?
 |
|
|
|
Web design by BTC Consultants
Internet server Global Publishing Group