by Amir Taheri, GATESTONE INSTITUTE • November 14, 2021
Like French President Emmanuel Macron five years ago, Éric Zemmour (pictured) is seen as the outsider opposed to incompetent and corrupt insiders. (Photo by Valery Hache/AFP via Getty Images)
- Like Macron five years ago, Zemmour is seen as the outsider opposed to incompetent and corrupt insiders.
- He seems unaware of the difference between American “secularism,” in which the state sees itself as protector of all religions, and the French laïcité in which the state regards all religions as potential or actual threats.
- The problem that France faces comes from political groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, the Salafist groups, Khomeinist circles and home-grown militants radicalized through the Internet.
Although the next French presidential election is months away, the way the media in Paris along with French chattering classes are behaving, one might think that we are on the eve of polling day.
Turn on any TV channel and open any newspaper and you are likely to run into oodles of speculation about the journey to the Élysée Palace.
One reason may be even the main one, for this premature interest is a 63-year old journalist who has cast himself as a modern version of the Prophet Jeremiah to depict gloom and forecasting doom for French democracy.
The man in question is Éric Zemmour, who has been lurking on the margins of French journalism, always in minor roles for almost three decades and, yet, is now entering as the rising star of French politics on the right or, as his enemies claim, the far right.
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Very nicely put!
A little note jotted as an analysis : Mr Taheri hasn’t really studied neither france ‘s History nor the last 40 years of french politics.
The 1st french republic 1792 raised against the clergy and the nobility . Clergy was the owner of 40% of lands and nobility including the Kingdom held 50% , peasants were held as near slaves ( serf ) . Upon seizing power the new republic voted the nationalization of the clergy lands and property ( secularisation law ) which were auctioned to the bourgeoisie and a few rich enough peasants. Therefore the french republic was established upon the demise of the clergy ; that’s why the french catholic church has always been viewed as a threat to the republic and to democracy . In 1905 was voted thanks to the left, the freemasons , the separation of State from the church : Laicité means the State is not only neutral towards relgion but also the State must keeps organized religions at bay from the Constitution and form the administration . This delicate balance has held up for 70 years until 1977 . Nowadays it’s radical islam which is the main threat to the republic and its laws . Zemmour interprets correctly the frenchmen feeling of this specific minority ( 15% of the population is muslim ) of being much more equal ( meaning preponderant ) than the rest of 85% frenchmen of french origin .
This feeling has been exacerbated by 40 years of neglect and even complicity by the french political elite towards the invasion of france by a vociferous population from north africa ( Morocco-Algeria-Tunisia ) and central africa ( former french colonies ).This invasion started in 1977 when former president Giscard enacted the ” reunion familiale ” act which allowed foregign residents to become permanent and to import all their relatives . from 200,000 persons / year we are now seeing 800,000/year coming to establish themselves and to enjoy the generous subventions of French social accommodations ( free housing-free healthcare-free school & universities ) . So Zemmour upsurge means enough is NOW enough .