Raping the People

On Sunday Jean-Marie Le Pen denounced the presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy as being a "rape" of the will of the people. He spoke to several hundred members of the Front National gathered for "la galette des rois" of the Paris branch of the FN. "La galette des rois" refers to a special pastry made to celebrate the Epiphany, which was January 6, but the celebrations can take place after that date as well.

Yahoo reported on his remarks:

"When we look at the policies of this government, we conclude that this is a veritable rape of the popular will," declared Mr. Len Pen.

"The French thought they were voting for a man who was unflinching on the issues of security, immigration, values, family, patriotism, law and order, lowering taxes," but "the mask is falling off," declared Mr. Le Pen.

Le Pen took on in particular the government's policy on immigration.

"The France that Nicolas Sarkozy loves, is the multicultural society, the France "that has been mixed with massive immigration," not "the 2000-year old country and its history," not the France of "the land and the church steeples," he said.

"The Hortefeux Law has managed to perform the feat of increasing family-based immigration, of facilitating work-based immigration which is now known as selective immigration, and of maintaining the influx of illegal immigration" with his announcement of a possible amnesty for illegals that have jobs, he said.

As for the goal of repatriating 25,000 illegals per year, "it is totally inadequate since about 150,000 illegals enter our country every year according to the ministry of the interior", he said.

Note: Official ministry figures are probably on the low side. It's difficult to know the actual figures. A recent post here, quoting France-Soir, gave the figure of 600,000 per year. That could be too high, or it could refer to one specific year, but at any rate many more are coming in than are going back.

The promises made by Nicolas Sarkozy during his electoral campaign "ominously recall the 'Vive French Algeria' uttered by de Gaulle in 1958, which led to an Algerian Algeria, and then to a fellagha Algeria," declared Mr. Le Pen.

But "populism will be victorious over people-ism," he cried, alluding to the abundant publicity surrounding the private life of the French president.

Le Pen seems to be using the term "fellagha" to designate the current leadership of Algeria. The word itself is Arabic, and refers to highway robbers or to clandestine bandits. During the Algerian War the word "fellagha" referred to those who resisted French rule, as opposed to the "fellouze" who served France.

Also the reference to "people-ism" (in French, "pipolisme"), a created word, is based on the absorption by the French language of the American notion of celebrities as depicted in magazines such as "People". The term "people" therefore, in current French usage, is equivalent to "celebrity" with overtones of shallowness and hype.

Update: January 15 - It's been pointed out to me that "pipolisme" could be a reference to "pipo", a word commonly used to designate a clown. This, too, would fit in with the depiction of Sarkozy has someone who generates laughter, or who plays to the gallery.

If anyone can add to or clarify these hypotheses, please feel free...