French MP blames riots on rappers

BBC News ^ | 11/24/2005

[Panerai]

A French MP has publicly accused rappers of fuelling the country's recent riots with their songs. It comes a day after 200 politicians backed his petition calling for legal action against seven rap musicians and bands it alleges have incited racism.

MP Francois Grosdidier told France-Info radio it was no surprise youths "saw red" after listening to violent lyrics.

Rapper Monsieur R, one of those singled out in the petition, rejected the idea, saying rap "is not a call to violence".

French authorities said the situation had returned to normal last week, following three weeks of unrest that affected dozens of towns and cities.

Nationwide, almost 9,000 cars were set ablaze and some 3,000 people were arrested. The French parliament last week approved a three-month state of emergency.

Banned

The petition, handed to Justice Minister Pascal Clement, has been signed by 153 members of the lower house of parliament and 49 senators.

The Justice Department has said it cannot immediately comment on its call for legal sanctions.

As well as Monsieur R, it names artists Smala, Fabe and Salif and bands Ministere Amer, 113 and Lunatic.

Mr Grosdidier, a member of President Jacques Chirac's conservative ruling UMP party, said songs like Monsieur R's FranSSe incite racism and hatred, and should be banned from radio play.

He told France-Info: "When people hear this all day long and when these words swirl round in their heads, it is no surprise that they then see red as soon as they walk past policemen or simply people who are different from them."

Monsieur R, real name Richard Makela, already faces a separate lawsuit for "outrage to social decency" over the song FranSSe, brought by another conservative MP and to be heard in February.

[clee1]

Oh but these Euroweenie leftists have totally departed from reality, n'est pas?

[DoughtyOne]

For a different take on this read the linked Guardian article:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1527969/posts

There the anti-France theme of rap gets the emphasis.

[TheCrusader]

"A French MP has publicly accused rappers of fuelling the country's recent riots with their songs."

I blame rapper 'Prawfit Moe Hahmid'.

[DoughtyOne]

Not too fond of Profit Moe myself, but Profits Curly and Larry were pretty good.

[mtbopfuyn]

First it was youths in general, now it's rap music, but nary word about Muslims.

[UCANSEE2]

Can't do that, it might start riots.

[Brilliant]

You mean rap is not French?

[MEG33]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1526221/posts
Mark Steyn: Don't Worry, They Have Baseball Bats -
National Review ^ | December 5, 2005 | Mark Steyn


Posted on 11/21/2005 1:39:13 PM CST by UnklGene


MARK STEYN: Don’t Worry, They Have Baseball Bats -

For the last couple of weeks, most of the Western media have been as overheated as a Renault 5 in Clichy-sous-Bois in their insistence that these riots have nothing to do with Islam. “The mayhem has yet to take on any ideological or religious overtones,” the New York Times assured us. “This has nothing to do with religion,” a Muslim told the Washington Post. Never mind the cries of “Allahu Akbar!,” never mind the invocation of “jihad” by at least some of the “youths,” never mind the particular care given to the incineration of Jewish targets, never mind the fact that the French government itself turned to various bigshot imams in an attempt to pacify les banlieues.

Instead, the move-along-folks-no-jihad-to-see-here crowd points to the rioters’ fondness for drugs, caterwauling rappers, casual sex, and hideous Western leisurewear as evidence of how culturally assimilated they are. Why, they threatened their victims with baseball bats!

snip
Steyn is great..

[AmishDude]

Rapper Monsieur R

You have got to be kidding me. Doesn't exactly have that gansta vibe, does it?

Monsieur R's FranSSe incite racism and hatred

Ah, like AmeriKKKa. If they only knew how derivative this guy is!

[one more state]

It's a Muslim thing, they would understand.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Not ranting at you, but here's my take:

[Thank you for this report]

Only a godless country could be so influenced by mere words. And yes, France has been a godless country for a long time. Even if this were the spark that lit the flame [and I remain skeptical], music and rap are the symptoms of a problem-- not the root. That rap music has just been double gold plated. There will now be a cult following, and the rap will reach the US and Britain. Idiots. If you want to make something more popular, take great lengths to call it powerfully dangerous. Make special bans on it. Heck, I want to hear it now.

[Tintin chez les soviets]

I already speak about that
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1525450/posts

Sniper - Nique le système :

Niquer l’systeme, ils auront le feu car ils ont semé la haine,
F**** the system, they have burn because they seed hate
qu’on les brule, qu’on les pende ou qu’on les jette dans la Seine,
that one burns them, whether they are hung or that one throws them in the Seine
Elle cherche à bruler nos racines
It seeks to burn our roots
mais ya des soldats, des vrais guerriers dans l’ghetto
there are soldiers, warlike truths in the ghetto

Sniper - Fait divers :

Quand j’vois le score du FN, j’me dis qu’on peut contrer ça
When I see the score of the FN (nationalists), I think that we can counter that
Tant d’fils d’immigré, si on s’mettait tous à voter
So many son of immigrant, if all voting
On est en guerre, fréro, et c’est juste un simple fait divers
we are in war, brother, and it's just a fact various

And the band 113 won a french music award...

[rfreedom4u]

I didn't know the ragheads rapped. When did that start?

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

So it does pan toward 'dissaffected immigrants' then, it would appear. Thank you. Gee, it doesn't sound like much. We have a lot worse in the US. I remember one particular song I simply loved in my old leftist days:

"Eat the Rich" by Krokus. Sick little leftist song. What a creep I used to be. [Shudder.]

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

"I didn't know the ragheads rapped. When did that start?"

Well, some of them [just a few mind you] had stuff leaking out of their brains and switched to "Huggies".