Posted on 04/01/2003 1:58:48 PM PST by James_UK
French plea as cemetery defaced
Etaples contains 11,000 war graves French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin has pleaded for trans-Atlantic tolerance after graffiti was daubed on a British war cemetery in northern France. Slogans reading "Death to Yankees" and "Rosbeefs (Brits) go home" were painted on the central memorial in Etaples, near the Channel port of Boulogne in northern France.
The slogans also called for UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President George W Bush to be sent to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
"Saddam Hussein will win and spill your blood", one slogan read.
Another claimed the graves were "contaminating" French soil.
Our disagreement with the British and American governments (on Iraq) can in no way justify any assault on the memory of men who sacrificed themselves for our country
Jack Lang Former French minister The graffiti appeared on 26 March - six days after the start of the war in Iraq, which France had fought to prevent.
Mr Raffarin, without making reference to the incident, pleaded on Tuesday for anti-American feeling to be restrained, calling displays of such sentiment "unacceptable".
"It is indispensable to be vigilant against all displays of anti-Americanism, which would be unacceptable," spokesman Jean-Francois Cope quoted Mr Raffarin as telling parliamentary leaders at a meeting on Tuesday.
The government should also be on guard for any signs of racism, anti-Semitism or xenophobia in the frequent protests against the war, Mr Cope quoted him as saying.
A judicial enquiry has been opened into the Etaples attack, which was condemned by senior French politicians.
Condemnation
"This violation of a burial place - scandalous in itself - is an attack on the memory of the sacrifice made by the British and American soldiers who contributed to the liberation of our soil," said the local member of parliament, former Socialist arts minister Jack Lang.
"Our disagreement with the British and American governments (on Iraq) can in no way justify any assault on the memory of men who sacrificed themselves for our country."
Mr Raffarin's warning was the latest in a series of comments apparently aimed at healing the deep rift with the US and UK which opened up over the Iraq crisis.
Mr Raffarin has already said that France is not an enemy of the United States, while the Foreign Ministry has issued a statement saying Paris hoped US-led forces would win the war in Iraq.
FRENCH OPINION 34% - support US-led forces 25% - support Iraq 31% - support neither side Source: Le Monde/TF1 poll As the government attempts to mend fences with Washington, public opinion appears to remain firmly against the war.
In a poll published by Le Monde newspaper and TF1 television station on Monday, 25% of those questioned said they supported Iraq in the war. Only 34% of the 946 people questioned said they were "on the side" of the US-led forces.
Just over 30% said they supported neither side.
As public feelings continue to run high, the government is also worried that the frequent protests against the war could become a forum for anti-Semitism.
Figures released last week showed a big rise in racist and anti-Semitic activity since the 11 September attacks on the US.
We are pretty hacked off and I am pleased to say the French authorities are too
Tim Reeves Commonwealth War Graves Commission Two French Jewish people were attacked at a recent anti-war protest in Paris.
Mr Raffarin's government "will not tolerate any racist, anti-Semitic or xenophobic acts," Mr Cope quoted him as saying.
The defaced Etaples cemetery is one of the biggest in northern France. Around 11,000 fallen British soldiers are buried there. It lies near the site of several wartime hospitals.
"We are pretty hacked off and I am pleased to say the French authorities are too," said Tim Reeves, of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).
The government doesn't control public opinion anywhere near as much as you seem to give it credit for doing.
I assure you, thinking Americans have duly noted Mexico's behavior. However, even a Republican can look far enough ahead to realize that there is a general election year beginning in about 8 months. Comprende hermano???
I further assure you, nobody was expecting huge favors from China. As it turned out, they weren't even forced to abstain after 1441. As usual, they played their cards carefully and last. China is a large, long-term rival. It would do Bush no good to tangle with them, even politically, at this time. He's got quite a few fires going right now thank you very much. There's Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran and the deconstruction of the United Nations to contend with, not to mention North Korea (where China does finally become relevant).
But France is getting the Administration's very public attention at this time for very good reasons:
U.N. (veto, oil-for-food)
EU
transChannel relations
U.S./German relations
NorthAfrica/Arabia
al Queda, WoT
NATO
These are the reasons France's perfidy is being addressed so loudly and urgently. Because right now, they happen to be more relevant than the other (admitted) knuckleheads.
Why isn't Canada on your list? Anyways, sounds like Baghdad is starting to blow up real good. I'm gone.
Peace! (smirk)
Sounds like a bunch a Redsox fans to me.
And just as likely - 100% - to experience bitter defeat and humiliation.
Turning off liberalism (TV, newspapers) has had a dramatic effect here -- we're beating it back. Cut off all aid and contracts with France and maybe their right can take it back (not that they ever had it).
Fine .
To me, you're making a wild supposition here, and one that I believe is quite wrong. All the evidence we have suggests that Bush/Powell/Blair thought they could get France on board using liberally applied diplomatic pressure. They were wrong; they failed to get France to be reasonable. But to you it's all preordained, a conspiracy in effect if not in word. That's the kind of hazy thinking I don't buy into.....
Kewl!! Try San Diego!! It's always beautiful, and the weather is always great! Stay in the suburb town called Pacific Beach, or La Jolla and you can't go wrong. Drive up to or stay in Carlsbad area and let your child visit LEGOLAND. It's a big theme park based on LEGOS! Plus, in less then two hours, you can be in pine covered mountains, hiking down a trail at 10,000 feet! A friendly little mountain town is named Idyllwild, halfway to Palm Springs, which also should be visited at least once!
I don't know where the 'conspiracy' thing came in - I don't see a conspiracy here - not a word about preordained. I just think it was a pretty good bet France wouldn't support us - much of the world was not supporting us and France didn't even let us fly over them in the last war, when much of the world was supporting us. It wasn't a stretch to think they wouldn't this time - my goodness 99.9% of the world didn't support it. Doesn't have anything to do with the right or wrong of it - just that France's lack of support did not come as a big surprise to me - I can't imagine it did to the President. Maybe it did to some Americans - or maybe they just want to have a little fun and find someone to vent their anger on - but there is a whole wide world out there they could be hating.
France did no more and no less than a lot of other countries did - act in what they felt was their best interests or at least take the actions their citizens wanted them to take. So why are we hating France so much - it easy - it fun and it doesn't hurt - no sacrifice - and it keeps everyone's mind off the ones who didn't support us and really should have - like Mexico and China and all our other 'favored traders'.
While we are focusing on the French silliness, our 'friend' Mexico wants some strange contact in our military with all of Mexican decent?, is giving dual citizenship Mexican/American to American citizens - is still exporting people for us to feed and in doing so is giving cover for terrorists to come into this country.
We are continuing our lop-sided trading with China and China is building its military, with our money, and taking a company out of America that is the last company to build components for some of our technology.
Never mind that heavy stuff - we are too busy keeping America free - we are not eating French fries!!!
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