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The beautiful port city of Marseilles was once a symbol of multiculturalism in France. Now plagued by gangs and crime, it has become central to the heated election debates around immigration and security.

Generations of immigrants have helped to shape the character of Marseilles and a third of the population are Muslim. But recently an explosion in violent crime has torn apart this melting pot, exacerbated by the recent killings in Toulouse by Islamist, Mohammed Merah, and Sarkozy’s controversial anti-halal campaign. “An election doesn’t justify being demagogic. It is dividing France, playing people off against each other.” In the midst of an ongoing economic crisis and with the election only a week away, many remain sceptical about France’s unity and the future prospects of its people. “We need real solutions to the problems here”, says Nassurdine Haidari, one of Marseilles’ vice mayors.

A buddy of mine went to Strasborg to study there for a year back in 1988/89. He and his French roommate went to Marseilles and even then it was mostly Moslem. His roommate was so disgusted at what was happening there and in his country that when my friend asked him his opinion on the Muzzies, he replied, "one in the ocean is pollution, all in the oceans is the solution." It rhymes in French as well as in English. This was almost 25 years ago.