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Posted on 05/06/2007 10:30:22 PM PDT by Cincinna
LA COURNEUEVE, France, May 6, 2007 (AFP) - As news of rightwinger Nocolas Sarkozy's presidential victory flashed up on the television in the cafe, Gnyma Cisse buried her head in her hands in a mixture of frustration and fury.
"I'm disgusted," said Cisse, 23, who had gathered to watch the election coverage in Le Metro cafe which caters to a largely immigrant and first generation French-born clientelle in the La Courneuve suburb of Paris.
Cisse, of Sengalese origin, called her sister-in-law who lives here without French nationality.
"Pack your bags. The planes are already on standby," she said, alluding to Sarkozy's tough immigration policy and his decision as interior minister to step up the expulsion of illegal immigrants.
"There's nothing good about this," Meziane Ourad, an unemployed 50-year-old, said of the election result as he smoked one in a seemingly endless chain of cigarettes.
"France is entering uncharted waters. This is going to be an oppressive society," said Ourad, who brought his family to France from Algeria 20 years ago.
His only hope, he said, was that legislative elections in June would produce a National Assembly controlled by a grouping other than Sarkozy's ruling Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) and therefore provide a counterpoint to the powerful executive office.
"Otherwise, we've got five terrible years ahead," he said.
Karim, a 28-year-old fishmonger of Algerian and Moroccan parentage, said he could not understand what he described as Sarkozy's "hatred" of foreigners.
"Sarkozy says he likes the France that gets up early. Well, when he gets up early in the morning, he'll find that France is made up of black and Arabs," he said.
Like other high-immigrant Parisian suburbs, La Courneueve witnessed weeks of rioting in 2005 by angry residents who complained of being excluded from the French mainstream.
"I voted Segolene!" a group of young women of African origin chanted in unison, displaying their loyalty to the defeated presidential candidate, Socialist Segolene Royal.
"I really like her. She's not a racist," said Assetou, 19. "God knows I hope she'll be president one day."
Several locals predicted that the 2005 riots would revisist La Courneuve.
"With Sarkozy, the riots will be permanent," said Farid, 25, a delivery man.
Mohamed Mechmache, the head of AC le Feu, a grassroots suburban association set up in the wake of the violence 18 months ago ago, told reporters after Sarkozy's victory that France "had failed to understand the message" of 2005.
"There are those who live well, the rich people, and those who will continue to suffer a lot," Mechmache said. "The disparity is enormous."
Kind of says it all, n'est ce pas?
President-elect Sarkozy sure has his work cut out for him.
I am keeping him in my prayers. He needs all the help he can get; he sure isn’t going to get it from these naysayers.
Ah, France... where you can be a rioting “youth” until you’re forty, and then you can retire.
Freakin’ French Pu$$ies. I must have seen a thousand photos of Royal with her arms up in the air with her palms skyward. What the hell does that mean? I think the body english meant that she thought she was a “gift” to France. Also, she has lost three elections now. Who the hell is running her campaigns, Bob Frum?????????
“Anxiety and anger” are beautiful things — if the right people have them.
Consider all the “anxiety and anger” the people quoted in this story probably cause the (real) French ...
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The particular people quoted in the story may or may not be “pu$$ies,” but they’d not French. They’re ungrateful parasites who live in France.
Yeah : )
Yes, France...not happy with election results so go distroy others property and endanger others in order to be taken seriously and respected...the radical logic is amazing isn’t it?
I think the results indicate most of France is through with the ungrateful parasites.
I think this guy's got it backwards. Sarkozy won precisely because of the 2005 message. Amazing how some people can't see what staring them right in the face.
Probably true.
Exactly.
"There's nothing good about this," Meziane Ourad, an unemployed 50-year-old, said of the election result as he smoked one in a seemingly endless chain of cigarettes.
There is a real "winner."
Kind of says it all, n'est ce pas?
Is France France any longer?
For that matter, is the U.S.A. the U.S.A. any longer?
Balkan-style racial/ethnic unrest creates permanent riots, MayDay-style. Hey, it's almost Cinco de Mayo, too.
Similar to how many Republican politicians, including the President, refuse to see how the American people feel about the demonstrations by the illegal invaders and the lack of border security.
I really want to thank you for all of the work you did, in order to educate this forum on the French Election. This, IMHO, was an important election for America as well. Hats off to you Cincinna! Thank you for your hard work and for your excellant analysis!
Wow, so the ultra liberal won instead of the outright socialist? Some choice.
I was actually hoping the socialist would win so France could go down the tubes that much faster.
Burning 10000 cars was not exactly a sign of ‘happy times’.
Maybe they are worried that this time they wont be allowed to get away with the crap the last government allowed.
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