Mayotte Becomes French

Lucky France. By the year 2011, a new kid on the block will be able to enjoy a host of new benefits, courtesy of the generous French State. The island of Mayotte, situated between Madagascar and Mozambique, in the Indian Ocean, will become the 101st French department, and the fifth DOM (overseas department) alongside Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Reunion. Even more fortunate for France is the fact that Mayotte is 95% Muslim, adding some much-needed religious diversity to the bleak uniformly Christian landscape.

A referendum held today on the island confirmed the prediction that Mayotte would choose to reject the Union of Comoros, of which it is geographically a part, preferring instead to belong to the French Republic. The referendum itself had been promised on March 14, 2007, by presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy to the Mahorans, and as everyone knows, a promise made by Sarkozy is a promise kept. Le Figaro reports on the outcome:

They said "yes". The inhabitants of Mayotte voted on Sunday to decide whether or not their island, which up to now had been a "departmental collectivity", should become the 101st French department. With a voter turnout of 61.02%, 95.2% of the votes were in the affirmative.

"It is an historic moment for Mayotte and for the Mahorans. This March 29, 2009 is the realization of a dream of several generations," rejoiced President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The article explains that the other islands of the Comoros condemned the "colonial policies" of Paris, and asserted their independence from France in 1974, but Mayotte chose not to follow their example.

For many Mahorans the change represents a promise of stability and an improved life-style. "Everybody will vote yes, because we want to become real Frenchmen, with all that that implies in terms of equal rights. I lived on Reunion Island for 16 years, and I can clearly see the difference with the way we live here," insisted Mohamed Atiki, a 39-year-old functionary, before the voting began. Confronted with its unstable neighbors of the African continent, Madagascar and the Union of Comoros, "Mayotte wants to stay free and at peace, in France," declares Ali Abdou, a 47-year-old functionary.

Mayotte has a GDP that is three times less than Reunion, but nine times higher than the Comoros. Most salaried employees work in the public sector and hope to obtain new benefits from their new status. The French government has warned them that it will take time. Moreover, in 2014, Mayotte will begin to pay taxes, such as that on real estate, that do not exist today, and it is said that Muslim practices such as polygamy will cease, in conformity with French law.

One can only wonder at the illusions people still harbor regarding the ability and willingness of the French authorities to impose French laws on a Muslim population.

Some Figaro readers questioned the legality of a referendum on an issue that affects the destiny of France in which the French people themselves were not consulted. But... since when are the French consulted, even if there is a referendum?

Still, the main reason why this is potentially an onerous event for France is the cost of caring for, feeding, housing and educating the almost 200,000 inhabitants of this island. Not to mention the need to establish trustworthy statistical references, such as public records and land registries. Le Monde reports:

(...) The new status of Mayotte provides for a social and fiscal alignment with metropolitan France. The deployment of social benefits will be very gradual - spread out over at least 20 years beginning in 2011 - while the Mahorans will have to pay taxes new to them, such as taxes on residency and real estate. The creation of a land registry ("cadastre") is scheduled for 2014, and the revision of the civil status is in progress. Yves Jégo, secretary of State for the overseas departments, has estimated that the cost of catching up will amount to 200 million euros a year until complete integration is achieved in 20 or 25 years.

French readers can check out a short video at François Desouche, and the slightly less than jubilant reactions of the FDS readers.

Also, review my previous article from March 2008 on racial violence in Mayotte.

The map shows the Comoros archipelago and Mayotte.

You Couldn't Pay Me A Million...

Here's an article from Le Figaro, and featured at Francois Desouche, on how the French government hopes to pay teachers a bonus for agreeing to work in "sensitive neighborhoods". I believe we have already tried this sort of bribery here, without much success, but give the French a chance:

A 2000 euro bonus to teach in a "sensitive" middle school. The measure will be tried on an experimental basis by the school district of Créteil next September. "It is not exactly a bonus," the school district points out, but an "indemnity for housing. It is meant to help beginning teachers."

Those concerned are teachers assigned for the first time to one of the 19 troubled middle schools in four cities of the department of Seine-Saint-Denis: Pierrefite, Saint-Denis, Stains et Villetaneuse. The schools were not chosen according to their location, but "according to the degree of turn-over," explained the school district. That is, the places where more than 25% of the teachers ask to leave each year. The stated objective is "to stabilize the staff."

The indemnity is granted on certain conditions: besides being the teacher's first assignment in the school, he (or she) must commit to staying three years in the same school, and to residing in Seine-Saint-Denis, since the indemnity is supposed to go towards housing.

Who will be affected by this? Beginning teachers who ask to be assigned to a difficult school. This coming year, for the first time, as the result of an agreement between the school district and the unions, teachers who begin their careers in the school district of Créteil will not be assigned a difficult school unless they so request. The 2000 euros seems therefore to be an incentive to these young teachers to request a difficult school. Also affected will be those teachers who have already taught somewhere else, and who were then assigned to these schools without having requested the transfer.

The article closes with a discussion of the angry reactions of the unions.

The best part of the article, however, are the readers' comments. Here are just a few:

- You could also offer them coupons for bullet-proof vests, or glass for their car windows, or free sessions with a shrink, or hospital stays with all expenses paid.

- Ten euros a day for the privilege of being beaten up, spat upon, insulted, having one's tires slashed, threatened, thrashed, stabbed, and never saying a word, keeping a smile on your face, otherwise you'll end up at the police station or worse... (Minister of Education) Darcos is right to want to eliminate the practical courses in the teacher-training programs. In today's circumstances, there is absolutely no reason for anyone to learn how to teach. How much does an apprenticeship as a commando cost?

- How about just replacing teachers with army veterans who served in overseas territories or in the Foreign Legion. Our valorous veterans know more than enough to be able to teach something to the scumbags in the ghettoes....

- Surprising, isn't it? They spend so much time bragging to us about the "richness" of these multicultural departments, it's surprising the State has to provide a financial incentive to teachers to experience from within the joys and the customs of this much-praised society.

In the cartoon the teacher is saying "I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid. Ready, set, go!"

Losing Cypriot Culture

A reader has informed me he may be visiting Turkey and Cyprus in the near future. I told him that it should be a fascinating journey and that he should not allow political considerations to ruin his enjoyment. When we are tourists, we are really students, and the land we are visiting is our classroom. It is the best learning experience I know of.

I found this article at Le Salon Beige, and the source article at a website called Haut Courant (a great pun on "au courant"). After a brief introduction on the stormy history of the island, the article discusses the goals of the Turks:

The Turkish Cypriots want to make a tabula rasa of the past! Their goal: to eradicate all traces of Greek presence in the northern part of the island that they have been occupying since 1974. For them, everything must disappear, and the cultural, historic and religious edifices are no exception... First, they replaced the place names with Turkish toponyms. An act that is contrary to international law and to the UN resolutions on Cyprus. The inhabitants of the northern part of the island then occupied the places of worship and meditation. More than 500 churches and monasteries have been pillaged and sacked. Others were transformed into mosques, museums, shops, and even into military barracks! Several tombs and cemetery crosses were destroyed and desecrated. And what is not demolished is simply abandoned: such was the fate of several prehistoric and historic towns left to deteriorate. And the Turkish Army does not allow the Cypriot government, or even UNESCO, to preserve and protect the archeological and cultural sites of the northern zone of the island.

The article goes on to a more detailed historical account of the various empires and countries that have dominated Cyprus through the ages. It ends thus:

The northern zone of the country, or 37% of the territory, was occupied by Turkish Cypriots and re-baptized "The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" in 1983. But it is not recognized by the international community. And the southern zone is inhabited by Greek Cypriots. The tension between the two communities has caused thousands of deaths and missing persons, and has forced the relocating of large portions of the population. But those are not the only consequences. In the Turkish zone, the cultural heritage is slowly disappearing, and nothing seems capable of stopping this headlong rush to destruction.

There is one reader's comment:

- Ask President Sarkozy to look into the matter, and at the same time, remind him that before his election, he was not for the entry of Turkey into the EU... He seems to have changed his mind. Alas! Alas! Alas!

Two more comments from Le Salon Beige readers:

- I was in Cyprus a few weeks ago and can confirm that the tabula rasa in the occupied zone has already been largely begun and is practically finished. Except for the cathedrals (dating from the Frankish period and transformed into 16th century mosques) of Nicosia and Famagousta, which have been restored by..... the European Union.

- A foretaste of what awaits the rest of Europe.

The photo from Webshots shows Kirpasa Peninsula in Turkish Cyprus.

A Warning to the French People

Here is a text from the pen of René Servoise, former ambassador of France to Indonesia. It is posted at Bivouac-Id, Le Post and Terre d'Israel. Despite its length, I chose to abridge it only slightly:

A mutation of our nation is in progress. It is growing, it is profound but uncontrolled. In all likelihood, the immense majority of Frenchmen are unaware of it.

Hundreds of thousands of Muslim families, from North Africa, the Middle East and black Africa - whose religion, aspirations and mores are radically different from ours - now live on our soil. Their birth rate is higher than that of European families. What is the consequence? Within 30 years the population of Islamist culture could be in the majority among those 40 years old or younger. "In France, we will have between 6 and 8 million Arabs by the years 2005 - 2010," said Edgar Pisani, honorary president of the Arab World Institute. We have been duly warned: this is a radical transformation (political, economic, cultural and social) of our society.

This mutation is in progress at the very moment when, to use Toynbee's expression, "an external proletariat" is forming on the southern and western shores of the Mediterranean Sea. This army of reservists came about as a result of the birth rate of these peoples, and the absence of an economic policy capable of guaranteeing them a decent life in their homeland. In front of them lie France, Italy, Spain and Germany, lands of mirage, highly developed, with guaranteed employment, free social protection and education. Who could resist the call of this "promised land"?

At the same time, all over the world, roused by immense hopes, Islam is enjoying an unprecedented revival. It is awakening after a long night. It has renewed vigor, pugnacity and ambitions. From Morocco to Indonesia, from the Muslim States of Central Asia to black Africa, more than one billion two hundred million men - young compared to the aging populations of Europe - constitute a "community" (Umma).

It is transnational, motivated by spiritual aspirations, material demands and political ambitions, and (here and there) financed by revenue from oil.

In France, the successive waves of Italians, Poles, central European Jews, Spaniards and Portuguese, had never posed comparable problems of integration. Why? Because they belonged to the European branch. Their religious traditions and their ambition to acquire more individual freedoms facilitated their assimilation. Finally - and this is far from the least important reason - these immigrants expressed a desire to share the destiny of the French nation. To meld into it. Integration cannot be decreed. In order for it to materialize it must be desired by two, this is obvious. And the two must converge. Today, the situation is different, radically different. An active and determined minority among the Islamists refuses integration. Deliberately.

In close communion with Islam (its matrix), it is receptive to orders from abroad, to spiritual counsel, ideology and financial support. And much more. Not only does it intend to keep its identity, but to re-Islamize the non-practicing, if not convert the natives of the host country to the true faith. Islam has never conceived of itself as a minority in a secular State, but necessarily as the majority religion. (...) Exalted by its renewal, propelled both by its demography and its absence of economic development, infiltrating wherever there is no resistance, Islam is advancing like a wave.

The French people can measure its vitality by the number of mosques multiplying on their territory (sometimes with the help of Catholic and lay leaders), mosques run by imams 96% of whom are from foreign countries. Also by the prospect of seeing - in the second half of the 21st century - the fall of Catholicism in France to second rank, leaving first place to Islam.

Thus two dynamics are developing: one inside our borders (...); the other outside (...) Concomitant and convergent, these changes are determining factors for Europe and for the French nation where the demographic stagnation is alarming.

Note: The map below shows the growth of mosques, with the dark green areas indicating more than 30 mosques. The years range from 1985 to 2008. Their growth is amazing.



Every nation expresses itself through a subtle, delicate and secret balance between dreams, ambitions and strengths, sometimes contradictory, transcended by a common aspiration to live together and to do great things together. This national identity is for some its soul; for others its genius. Each nation is a plant nourished by a land and a History, pride in its past. "Immediate to the heart of God," it is unique and therefore justified.

How many centuries, wars, concessions, sacrifices and omissions were necessary for France, England, Spain and Germany to overcome - finally - their internal divisions and to become what they are!

If it is fitting - as Montesquieu recommends - to only touch institutions with a trembling hand, what can one say about the respect due the profound harmony of our nation, its internal composition - the measure of its permanence and of its performance?

Note: The above phrase beginning "its internal composition..." appears separated from the rest of the sentence in the text. I attached it because it seemed to belong there, however I'm not sure.

To the lessons drawn from our past, the present adds new warnings about the future on a daily basis. How can we allow ourselves to be blinded to the point of not seeing the proliferation and the exasperation of ethnic and religious conflicts all around us, since the same causes produce the same effects?

He then lists some of the numerous ethnic conflicts in the world, including those in Asia, Africa and Europe.

Are we Frenchmen, after having overcome so many rebellions, insurrections and revolutions, after having liquidated our quarrels between Catholics, Protestants, Israelites and Free Thinkers; between nobles, bourgeois and proletariat, about to allow conditions that foster disintegration to take hold ?

Warning. If native Frenchmen fail to be the most numerous, we will see that our days are numbered. If we fail to limit the number of immigrants, we will be judged as wanting in the scales of History. If we fail to affirm our national ambition, we will set the stage for the bursting apart of our nation.

Remember. One day, in Babylon, on the wall of his palace, Belshazzar saw letters written in fire, three warnings: MENE MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN. The prophet Daniel translated them thus:

"God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end."

"You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting."

"Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and the Persians."

For us today the warnings come daily on our TV screens. But no prophet dares translate them.

What kind of France, dear reader, do you hope to bequeath to your children?

Rembrandt's Belshazzar's Feast (1635) captures the scene of fear. (National Gallery, London)

Summoned to Court (in France)

This article was posted today at the English-language website Europe News, via Islam in Europe:

A French human rights organization is summoning Geert Wilders to court. The head of the PVV party is accused of inciting to hatred of Muslims.

"Wilders made statements about French Muslims, about Muslims in Paris and Marseilles, which incite to racial hatred," says lawyer Yassine Bouzrou. He lodged the complaint on behalf of the organization, which is being studied by the public prosecution. If Wilders is found guilty, he can be sentenced for one year in prison.

Wilders was not aware of the complaint yesterday evening. "I hear this for the the first time," he said. "The world is becoming small with trials and procedures everywhere: from the Netherlands, Jordan and England to France. Dreadful. But I'll naturally fight back judicially. They won't prevail over me."

Last week the PVV head signed an official appeal against the UK's refusal to let him into the country.

The French complaint is based on Wilders' speech in New York last September. "Paris is now surrounded by a ring of Muslim neighborhoods," he said then. "Many neighbourhoods in France are no-go areas for women without head scarves."

He called the riots in the suburbs in 2005 a "Muslim intifada". Bouzrou came to the conclusion that the expressions are criminal. "Wilders says in that speech also that one in three French Muslims supports suicide attacks. With that he suggests that one in three French Muslims is a potential terrorist. Where he does he get all of this? How did he get ot it? Wilders makes serious accusations which are based on nothing."

Bouzrou made the complaint for the French human rights organization ADDH. They work together with the Collective against Islamophobia in the fight against Muslim hatred.

"A politician may express his idea. But Wilders makes dangerous statements about something of which he has no understanding. These are not political ideas, but insults and prejudices," says the lawyer. "We already had in France attacks on mosques and against Muslim cemeteries. The statements by Wilders instigate further extremism against Muslims.

Bivouac-Id has also referenced the article, citing as background information an older article from 2005, published by the news weekly l'Express, in which the leader of MRAP (Movement Against Racism and for Friendship among Peoples), Mouloud Aounit, is upbraided for his desire to criminalize any criticism of religion:

At least things are now clear. By demanding the criminalization of blasphemy, as he did on January 13 on France 3 TV, Mouloud Aounit, general secretary of MRAP, has taken a significant step in the history of the agency. When one hears this call for repression, through the legal system, of any criticism against God or religion, one can see that MRAP is henceforth aligned less with the fight against racism than with the fight for fundamentalism. (...)

In recent years, despite the opposition of some of his followers, MRAP has tried to persuade the public that it is necessary to fight first and foremost against "Islamophobia", demonizing in the process anyone who criticizes Islam or Muslims (...)

Bivouac-Id suggests that MRAP may have a role to play in any future prosecution of Wilders.

Another article cited is this one from today's edition of La Croix. It is still online, but may be archived soon. Some of the information overlaps with the Europe News article:

The Association for the Defense of Human Rights (ADDH) is suing the Dutch deputy from the extreme-right, Geert Wilders, for "inciting to racial hatred", because of remarks he made in New York in 2008, considered by ADDH to be Islamophobic.

During a speech given in New York on September 25, 2008, Wilders, producer of Fitna, a controversial film on Islam, had declared that Paris was "now encircled by Muslim neighborhoods."

The Dutch deputy had also explained that "in France, teachers are told to avoid authors considered as offensive by Muslims, including Voltaire and Diderot." He had also maintained that "many neighborhoods are forbidden to women not wearing the veil."

"The remarks made by Wilders target a specific community, the Muslims. That enters into the category of inciting to racial hatred," said Yassine Bouzrou, attorney for the ADDH. (...)

Created in 2002, the Association for the Defense of Human Rights is an "anti-racist association, that fights against all forms of discrimination, in particular those that target Muslims," according to Bouzrou. It was the plaintiff in the case of vandalism of the Muslim military cemetery of Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, last December.

Note: There are countless "associations for the defense of human rights" online. They are often connected to a specific country such as Morocco or to the EU. I did not succeed in finding the specific association mentioned in the above articles. However, I did not do an exhaustive search.

The attorney for ADDH, Yassine Bouzrou has been in the French news, however, for his role in defending Abdoulaye Fofana, a 20-year-old who became well-known as a victim of police brutality last October, when the police entered his home in Seine-Saint-Denis and beat him up after handcuffing him. He was accused of having thrown cobblestones at the police car. The beating was filmed by a resident of the apartment building where Fofana lived and appeared at numerous websites, arousing sympathy for Fofana and outrage at the police. However, the facts were not entirely elucidated at the time, since the police said very little, and the person who made the video was known to have made "rigged" videos in the past. The street and neighborhood where Fofana lived are considered to be among the most dangerous in the department of SSD.

Interested French readers can review this article from Rue 89 and this interview with attorney Bouzrou from Metro France.

I must admit I did not follow this story closely, as it seemed to be similar to so many cases of violence in a notorious and largely uncontrollable district.

Reminder: It's always possible, even probable, that the French courts will throw this case out. The event in question took place in New York, not in France. This could become a limiting factor in the prosecutor's case.

Photo of Wilders from Day Life.

Rage Over Benign Comments

The French Catholic websites have been flooded with articles and commentaries on two of Pope Benedict's recent actions: first, the lifting of the excommunication on the four bishops of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), an event that has been widely reported in the English-speaking press, and more recently the remark made by the Pope concerning the inefficiency of contraceptives in the fight against AIDS in Africa.

There is interesting commentary on the Williamson affair from a reader of Lawrence Auster's VFR, with a link in the first sentence to a previous article, also at VFR.

I am hardly qualified to talk about this matter, but I remember reading about the SSPX a year or so ago at French websites and have no problem with the lifting of the excommunication, despite the obnoxious Bishop.

The hue and cry over the remark on contraceptives is puzzling to me because it is not totalitarian or in any way repressive. It does not condemn contraception (even if that is part of Church doctrine) but simply states that contraception alone will not solve the problem of AIDS, and in fact aggravates it. (Le Salon Beige has posted some information, here and here, on the worsening of a disease once a "cure" is found. I will try to get to that later, but you can easily guess that if people think they are "safe" from a disease, they will redouble their indulgence in the behavior that caused the disease in the first place.)

I see nothing extreme or fanatical in the Pope's observation. I see nothing that would generate the kind of tsunami of invectives and mockery that, according to the French websites, has been unleashed in the wake of his statement.

Nouvel Observateur (a left-wing paper) reports on a recent IFOP poll (made by phone to 620 Catholics) showing that 43% of French Catholics would like the Pope to resign or retire! Who are these Catholics? Are they the thousands who came out en masse last summer to hear him say Mass at Notre-Dame Cathedral? Then the article says that the figure is even greater for "non-practicing" Catholics (47%), but decreases among the "practicing Catholics" (31%). It goes on:

A great majority of the French people also believe that the Catholic Church should "modify its statements and its positions to take into account changes that have occurred in society and its mores," notably on contraception. The IFOP poll shows that 85% wish the Church would modify its position on contraception, 83% wish it would do the same on abortion! 77% on the remarriage of divorced persons and 69% on homosexuality.

Note: I am not Catholic, but I know that if the Church caved in to its critics on these non-negotiable issues, it would no longer be the Catholic Church. The same is true of the American Constitution: once you begin changing it to suit the low-level trends of a decadent society it is no longer the American Constitution. It becomes the Constitution of the children of 1968 and their descendants!

The article then moves on to another poll by CSA made by phone to 1,012 persons:

(...) It revealed that 29% of Catholics have a good opinion of Benedict XVI and 55% have a bad opinion. But among the practicing Catholics, 52% are positive towards him and 28% negative. Among the French in general, Catholic or not, 57% have a bad opinion, a figure that doubled since September 2008. (...)

Enough of polls. Does this really mean anything? Is there a campaign to discredit and even bring down the Church? The well-known positions of the Church on moral issues are hardly cause for outbursts of anger or calls for resignation. The Church cannot contravene these positions. On the other hand, it might consider modifying Vatican II, a drastic deviation that transformed the Church into a liberal, left-leaning entity, at odds with its basic mission, since it extended "equality" to ideologies such as Islam that threaten the very existence of the Church. I do not say this because I have an axe to grind against the Church, but because the survival of European civilization is at stake.

Here is Louis Chagnon writing at Bernard Antony's blog:

(...) This time the motivation (for the controversy) is the statement on the use of contraceptives in Africa: "The distribution of contraceptives does not allow us to move on past the problem of AIDS, it aggravates the problem." At once, like bolts of lightening, the fanatical do-gooders of the "copulation internationale" swooped down on the Bishop of Rome, whose remarks are merely a reflection of Church principles in the fight against AIDS: abstinence and marital fidelity. Abstinence and marital fidelity are far from being the norm in Africa as anyone aware of the mores there knows. Moreover these principles are only indications that any Christian can follow or not according to his conscience.

It is nonetheless surreal to observe how not one of these "progressives" raises a voice against Islam, that favors a hundred whip lashes for unmarried persons who have sexual relations outside of marriage, and the stoning of adulterers. It is true that the whip and the stone are certainly more effective that contraceptives in fighting AIDS. Our "copulatory addicts" were hardly phased when a 75-year-old woman was recently condemned to 40 whip lashes and four months in prison by the Saudi religious police for having in her home two young men, not directly related to her family, who ran errands for her. If the whip and the stone are favored by our Islamophile media, can we expect to see "contraceptive-phobia" declared a crime in France in the near future? At any rate, if there were a contraceptive against intellectual dishonesty, many of our so-called elitists would have their head in a condom!


There are numerous articles on this topic, even one at Le Salon Beige purporting to show that the policy of the Vatican on contraceptives is not nearly as censorious or intransigent as people often think. A tsunami (another one!) of angry comments from devout Catholic readers quashes this theory utterly. I'll try to get to it, time permitting. In the meantime, suffice it to say that Benedict XVI recently returned from a successful tour of Africa that has reactivated much debate and religious fervor at the French Catholic websites.

Before I close this post, just a quick look at what transpired yesterday (Sunday, March 22) at Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris. Le Parisien reports:

The confrontation was explosive. Clashes erupted on Sunday, a little before noon, between young people presenting themselves as Catholics and activists ("militants") of the Green and Communist parties. The latter intended to distribute condoms and tracts denouncing the recent remarks of the Pope:

"You cannot resolve the problem of AIDS with contraceptives. On the contrary, their use aggravates the problem," Benedict XVI had declared on Tuesday.

The Greens and Communists had scarcely arrived at the very symbolic John-Paul II Square in front of Notre-Dame, than the insults began flying from the young extremists, some of whom were dressed in fatigues. The verbal assault quickly degenerated into a fight, with two wounded members of the Green Party being taken to the hospital. They said they would file a complaint.

The tension increased with the arrival of demonstrators from Act Up, around 12:30. Greeted by a volley of insults, eggs and bags filled with water, they sprawled out on the ground that was strewn with tracts and condoms. Additional police arrived and formed a veritable barricade between the organization that fights AIDS (this would be Act Up) and the young "Catholics". According to our sources, there were several arrests. Calm was restored around 1:00 p.m.

But there is another factor. It appears that the Front National may have gotten involved in a way that was detrimental to the cause of the Catholic demonstrators who say they just wanted to pray in front of the cathedral. François Desouche reports:

The Communist Party had announced its intentions: the Pope's remarks cannot be allowed. To show their opposition, elected officials and sympathizers organized a distribution of condoms at a highly symbolic site: the terrace in front of Notre-Dame, known as John-Paul II Square.

This initiative did not find favor among young Catholics who wrote in their Facebook page "Leave my Pope alone" ("touche pas à mon pape"). Except that members of the Front National joined in the protest and began to have it out with those distributing condoms. To Europe 1 Radio, Florian, one of the Catholics, did not hide his annoyance: "Facebook is a free media site. Anybody can see what you write there. We did not want people from the Front National to come. We simply wanted to pray". A young man calling himself "Catholic" hit a demonstrator from Act Up in the face, while she was talking to France Info News.

Technically, it became difficult to pray, once Act Up joined in the demonstration. Sprawled out on the terrace (photo below) of the cathedral which was closed as a precautionary measure, they demonstrated by whistling. The police came and attempted to separate everybody. The leader of the Communists, Ian Brossat, refused to admit defeat: to Europe 1 Radio he declared that he would continue distributing condoms... "a little further on."

Did the FN interfere deliberately, or are the Catholics embarrassed by the presence of the party of JMLP? Or is there more to this crazy story?

As of now there are 229 comments at FDS, as well as two Daily Motion videos, easily understandable even if you do not know French.

I must end this post. New developments of importance will be reported on later.

Acting as a French Prince

Every now and then I neglect Rachida Dati. But something always comes along to prod my interest. We still do not know who the father of her baby is. Therefore when, half asleep last night (or morning, I'm not sure), I saw the headline "Rachida Dati Marries Jean d'Orléans", I flipped. It took a few seconds before I came to my senses and remembered that the verb "marier" in French means "to perform the ceremony of marriage", or "to marry off". Only in its reflexive form - "se marier avec" - can it mean "to marry" as in "take a spouse".

THEN, I had to ask myself why on earth the Keeper of the Seals would perform a marriage ceremony (but possibly that is not out of the question). The mystery was solved when the Figaro article reminded us that Rachida is MAYOR of the 7th arrondissement of Paris, a post she won in the legislative elections last June.

Whew! Now on with the story. The heir to the French throne, Jean d'Orléans has married Philomena de Tornos y Steinhart, Spanish by her father and Austrian by her mother:

Rachida Dati performed the marriage ceremony for the heir to the French throne. The symbol says a lot about the evolution of French society. Thursday afternoon, the Minister of Justice, at the city hall of the 7th arrondissement of Paris, received the mutual consent of Prince Jean d'Orléans, Duke of Vendôme and his fiancée, Philomena de Tornos y Steinhart.

Born on May 19,1965 in Boulogne Billancourt, the Duke of Vendôme is the son of the current Count of Paris by his first wife, Marie-Thérèse de Wurtemberg, Duchess of Montpensier. "I think as a Christian prince, I act as a French prince", affirms the descendant of Louis-Philippe. Related to the principal European monarchies, Prince Jean is considered by Orleanists as the heir to the throne of France, the Dauphin. A position opposed by the legitimists who champion the cause of Prince Louis de Bourbon of Spain.

As for the bride, of Spanish origin by her father and Austrian by her mother, she is the grand-daughter of Juan de Tornos y Espeliu, who was chief personal secretary to the Count of Barcelona, father of the current King of Spain, Juan Carlos.

The article goes on to describe the guests, the creamy white dress embroidered with flowers worn by the bride, and the photo session in the garden with Rachida Dati wearing her tricolor sash. The religious ceremony will take place on May 2, in Senlis Cathedral, the center of the Capetian dynasty. It was there that Hugues Capet was elected first king of the Francs in 987. A reception will be held at the Château de Chantilly. (A reminder that in France marriage ceremonies have to be civil in order to be recognized by the State. The religious ceremony is optional. But... does this hold true for Muslim marriages?)

A quick glance at the comments at François Desouche seems to indicate that readers are not exactly bowled over by the Duke of Vendôme's choice of mayor.

Below is the coat of arms of Louis-Philippe, ancestor of Jean d'Orléans, known as the "Citizen King" who reigned from 1830 to 1848.

Openness Keeps Rollin' Along

Molière's Don Juan says something like this: I feel I have a heart big enough to embrace the whole earth. And like Alexander, I wish there were other worlds where I could spread my power.

The world is not big enough for Nicolas Sarkozy. There are not enough positions for all the Socialists on his list of persons in need of employment, or enough countries to which he can send his Socialist ambassadors.

In an effort to extend even further his generosity towards his "opponents", he has just appointed former Socialist prime minister Michel Rocard, 78, ambassador to the Arctic and Antarctic. His function will be to deal with environmental issues in those two remote areas of the globe, under the supervision of Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner.

Are there no competent men in the UMP? Sarkozy always justifies his actions by saying he chooses the most qualified persons. If the UMP is so devoid of talent, maybe it should quickly succumb to lack of oxygen, euthanized by its own brain-dead cadres, and relieve Sarkozy of the burden of having to belong to a party of dunces. One Figaro article begins:

"It could begin with a short ad: 'One Socialist, over 65, seeks employment of a general interest to serve his country,'" jokes a right-wing politician whose eyes have been opened. It's true that Nicolas Sarkozy enjoys showing off his deftness at creating "openness" at the precise moment when the Socialist Party attacks his policies from new angles, the latest being a pamphlet entitled "France and the surveillance of her freedoms."

The former prime minister left his post as deputy in the European Parliament, where he specialized in the protection of the Arctic. Late in 2008 he had explained that a treaty would be necessary in order for the Arctic to ensure the safety of navigation and to preserve the thermal equilibrium of the ice cap.

Michel Rocard has not always had tender words for Nicolas Sarkozy, whom he judged to be "dangerous" for France before May 2007. But he softened and, in the press, welcomed Sarkozy's attempts to reform capitalism.

Note: In other words, when he realized Sarkozy was a good Socialist, just like himself (and not in the least bit "dangerous"), he softened.

At Elysée, the appointment of Michel Rocard is taken for granted. "Openness is a long river, tranquil and powerful," smiles Claude Guéant, general secretary of Elysée. Which means that it is no more and no less on the agenda today than yesterday. "this is not a tactical measure to get votes from Socialists, as so many believe it to be, but a gesture that contributes to a climate of peaceful democracy," observes Brice Hortefeux, Minister on Social Affairs, and former colleague of Michel Rocard in the European Parliament.

Note: A reminder that Hortefeux was the minister of immigration until January 15, when he was replaced by Eric Besson. In the reshuffling he was made minister of social affairs, a subdivision of the ministry of labor.

The article goes on to name several Socialist hopefuls, waiting with bated breath, on Sarkozy's list of job-seeking left-wingers. I shall report on these momentous appointments as they happen - if I can stay awake long enough to check their credentials. We wouldn't want Sarkozy to make an error and accidentally hire a conservative, assuming he could find one in today's France, would we?

Legal Immigration

A long and complex article, posted at François Desouche, attempts to calculate the number of legal immigrants who arrive each year into France, while explaining why it is so difficult to do so. It was necessary to abridge the text which comes from a news source called Paysan Savoyard. No link is provided, as it seems to be a paper publication:

(...) The only figure known is that relating to legal entries who arrive for an extended stay. This data is established and accessible to the public, but is not publicized.

This figure on legal arrivals is almost never used in public discussions. When they are forced to come up with figures, something they try to avoid, preferring to stick to broad principles and generous ideas, the public authorities, the experts and the journalists prefer to use another figure: that of the "net number of entries" ("solde migratoire"), which refers to the number of entries onto French territory minus the number of departures. For 2007 the net entries are estimated at 70,000; for 2006
at 95,000.

The very concept of "net entries" leads journalists and their readers to think that this figure corresponds to the supplementary immigration recorded each year: nothing could be further from the truth. Despite its name, the net number of entries does not measure the arrival of immigrants. It includes, in fact, besides the departures and arrivals of immigrants, the departures of Frenchmen leaving to settle abroad and the return from expatriation of these Frenchmen.

The article then explains that these figures are not calculated but only estimated; that the number of exits from France is not recorded (for reasons unknown); and that the 2004 figures on the "net entries" had to be revised upward. By counting the number of new residence cards ("carte de séjour") valid for a year or more (every foreigner staying in France more than three months must obtain a residence card), and adding to that the number of minors (who do not receive such cards) entering France under family reunification, the number of new non-European immigrants legally on metropolitan French territory is 160,000.

We should add that INED confines this figure to a specialized publication and is careful not to reveal it to the press: in public declarations the director of INED prefers to make known the "net number of entries" from INSEE (which has the advantage of being half of the actual figure).

Note: INED is the National Institute on Demographic Studies. It is under the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, headed by Valérie Pécresse. INSEE is the National Institute on Statistics and Economic Studies, under the Ministry of Finance. INED is a research-oriented agency, but needs statistics in order to work, hence it collaborates out of necessity with INSEE.

The article explains that INED's figure cannot be entirely correct due to many factors: the need to subtract the number of departures, a statistic that is not known and that would include those who return to their original homeland, a number considered to be insignificant; the need to subtract the departures for another country, also considered to be insignificant since few countries offer the benefits available in France; the need to subtract the number of deaths among immigrants, also considered to be insignificant, since most immigrants are quite young. Moreover most immigrants are French-speaking and feel more comfortable in France. (How the French feel is obviously not a factor.)

Thus we can regard the figure of 160,000 as corresponding closely to the annual increase in immigrants residing long-term on French territory.

We should add that there is also immigration from countries of Western Europe and immigration from countries that have recently joined the EU. The latter is estimated at 4000 per year (estimated because movements of Europeans of EU countries are not recorded). This estimate is surprisingly small when compared with what has happened in the UK where the Poles who have been there since 2004 number more than a million. Part of the explanation for this is that France instituted for several years restrictions on work-based immigration from Central and Eastern Europe - these restrictions are being gradually lifted.

Returning to the 160,000 non-Europeans, 58% of whom enter for family reasons, the figures break down into the following situations:

- marriage with a Frenchman (who is often a naturalized immigrant). This is the most frequent motive and represents 52,000 entries in 2006

- family reunification (the right of a foreigner to send for his family)

- the existence of personal and family ties with France

The other entries correspond to the following situations (this list is not exhaustive):

- study in France (the residence card is valid for 4 years, but can be renewed if employment is found)

- work-based immigration (note that family immigration is rapidly turned into work-based immigration)

- asylum

- legalization of undocumented aliens

We should point out that the four countries most represented (in 2006) among the legal entries are, in descending order: Algeria, Morocco, China and Turkey. In all, the Maghreb accounts for 35% and sub-Saharan Africa for 22% of the entries.

The article then looks at the trends, according to figures from the Interior Ministry, figures that are only available from 1994 onward:

Between 1994 and 1996 the number of legal entries remained stable - around 60,000.

Between 1997 and 2001, the number of entries saw a great increase and reached 136,000 in 2001. Beginning in 2002, the number of legal entries for a long-term stay continued to increase greatly and passed the 160,000 mark before stabilizing at this level (158,000 in 2002, 168,000 in 2003, 168,000 in 2004, 164,000 in 2005, 160,000 in 2006).

To get a clearer idea of what this means, note that the number of 160,000 additional entries each year corresponds to the population of a rural French department, such as l'Ariège, or even of a city such as Grenoble. To get the full measure of the total phenomenon, we will have to examine the available data on illegal immigration and on birth statistics.

I know I look forward to these reports. I hope François Desouche posts them.

The painting is also posted at FDS. I'm not able to discern the name at the bottom.

The Minister of Immigration

Note: This article has been modified slightly. An explanation of the French word "délation" was added, and the word "visa" was changed to "residence card", a more accurate term.

On January 15, 2009, Eric Besson was appointed Minister of Immigration and National Identity, replacing Brice Hortefeux. There is a long web page on him at a site called République des Lettres. This web page differs from the Wikipedia web page on his family origins. According to RDL, his mother was Marie-Thérèse Musa, of Lebanese origin, his father was an officer in the French Air Force. Wikipedia does not mention his mother, but says that his father was Lebanese and trained pilots in the French Army. Nor does Wikipedia mention religion, but according to RDL his family was right-wing and deeply committed to "social Catholicism".

He was born in Morocco in 1958, came to France at the age of 17, and was a member of the Socialist Party from 1993 to 2007, when he joined the campaign to elect Nicolas Sarkozy as coordinator of the left wing of the UMP party. Not surprisingly he was labeled a "traitor" by the Socialists.

In May 2007 he was named to a post as secretary of State in charge of evaluating public policies, under the supervision of Prime Minister François Fillon.

The websites have had countless articles about him since his new appointment and his defection from the PS. I must confine myself to just a few things of interest. When he was appointed Minister of Immigration many could not help but react with some irony, since Besson had been fiercely critical of Sarkozy's immigration policy which he regarded as a hindrance to normal legalization of immigrants. In his 2007 book Qui connaît Madame Royal? he had written:

"By eliminating or restricting the principal methods of legalization, Nicolas Sarkozy is left without the permanent tools that would permit gradual legalization and thus avoid mass legalizations. In other words, Nicolas Sarkozy fabricates undocumented aliens, but claims to fight against illegal immigration!"

In January 2009, Jean-Marie Le Pen reacted to the new appointment:

(...) Scarcely two years ago, Eric Besson published, on behalf of the Socialist Party, a report in which he denounced vigorously and took apart point by point the two immigration laws of Nicolas Sarkozy. Policies that he is today in charge of implementing.

Whatever one my think of (Besson's) political defection, or of the Machiavellian craftiness of the president, it goes without saying that these maneuvers are the opposite of what is needed to help the French people recover a minimum of confidence in politics.

One of Besson's most controversial projects involves his plan to offer illegal immigrants a temporary residency card if they denounce their "passeurs", i.e., human smugglers. This report, condensed from Le Figaro (dated February 4, 2009), appeared at many websites:

Minister of Immigration Eric Besson is going to sign a circular allowing illegals who are victims of human slave trade or of prostitution to obtain a temporary residency card if they denounce the network of smugglers who helped them cross the border.

"Put yourselves in their place," he said in defense of the plan, "they are today in a position that does not allow them to denounce their sorry state precisely because they have no visa. They are afraid to go to the police. With the system we are implementing, they know that if they denounce those who put them in this situation, they can obtain, instantly, a visa..."

The plan is in fact the application of a European directive from 2004 that allows illegals who are victims of procurers or of black-market labor to obtain a visa short-term in exchange for their cooperation with the police. (...)

France Terre d'Asile (France, land of asylum), an organization that provides aid and support to immigrants reacted:

FTA regards the Minister's plan as "spectacularly inefficient". According to FTA, Eric Besson is "repeating one of Nicolas Sarkozy's ideas from 2003 when he was Interior Minister, and launched a similar idea to protect victims of prostitution rings. Six years later, the victims of prostitution are still there, still illegal, just less visible on the streets, but working in much more dangerous conditions." (...)

In response to accusations of encouraging squealing ("délation"), another article from Le Figaro quotes Besson as saying:

"Only twisted elitists would call my plan an encouragement to squeal", adding: "the people understand."

Note: The word "délation" has a stronger meaning in French than "squeal" and is much closer to "denunciation". It hearkens back to WWII when, under the Occupation, being denounced as a resistance fighter to the Nazi occupiers or their collaborators was a common fear. Please see the comment section below.

The same article describes his trip to London to obtain both logistical and financial support for his plan to improve security in Calais (a center for immigrants trying to enter England), his intention to restart DNA testing as soon as the experiments on the tests themselves have been completed, his assertion that DNA tests have been implemented in the UK without any problem, and his resolve to force those seeking to enter France to learn French.

Note: It is better to withhold judgment on the above plans of Eric Besson. They sound tough on immigration, but in all likelihood they will either be carried out partially, not at all, or in some way to the benefit of immigrants, if the results of previous "tough" policies are any indication.

An article in L'Express dated March 2, 2009 describes Besson's adherence to "diversity":

Minister of Immigration Eric Besson signed a circular to the prefects asking them to promote the label "Diversity" among public and private employers in their departments.

This label of "Diversity" announced by President Sarkozy on December 17, 2008, aims to "reward the best practices of businesses, administrations and local communities" in their promotion of diversity in the management of human resources.

Note: The above gobbledegook is rather difficult to translate.

The label "is part of a government policy to prevent discrimination and to promote diversity. The Ministry of Immigration is responsible for its implementation," explains the circular.

Seven businesses have already received the label that Eric Besson will award them on March 13.

Note: This sounds like the EOE label we use. As far as I can tell, almost all American companies use EOE now. I may be wrong, but originally EOE was merely meant to signify that blacks would be hired over whites, all things being equal. Sarkozy's label "diversity" probably has, in addition to affirmative action, the implication of mixing races together for the ultimate goal of métissage. EOE did not have that implication, at least not at the outset.

The criteria for the label are "prevention of all types of discrimination recognized by the law, such as origin, age, handicap, sexual orientation, religion, membership in unions, political opinions EXCEPT for those such as "equality" already covered by another special label.

Note: I cannot explain the above. Apparently, there is a separate label for "equality"? There would have to be, since equality and diversity cancel each other out, except in today's world where definitions are adjusted at will.

One final point, discussed at Nouvel Obs (article dated March 18, 2009) concerns a new movie called Welcome in which a life-guard from Calais assists an undocumented alien from Afghanistan:

The Socialist deputies introduced a bill on Wednesday that would abolish the "crime of solidarity" with illegal immigrants, after seeing the movie Welcome directed by Philippe Lioret. (...)

By means of this bill, we would help make life safer for the "thousands of French people who help the migrants free of charge," explained Socialist deputy Catherine Coutelle, who called on Eric Besson to support the measure. The Socialists denounced the "climate of intimidation towards the unpaid helpers and the social workers who help the immigrants get through their daily lives."

Besson responded that the law that goes under the title of L622-1 is "indispensable in the fight against human smugglers, and the networks of illegal immigration." (...) He accused his former Socialist friends of "accusations against France", even though, according to him, the country treats Afghan refugees who wander around Calais waiting to enter England, "in a very dignified manner. Do you only like patriotism when Barack Obama touts it? If you have a problem with this Nation, re-read Jean Jaurès," snapped Besson to the Socialists. (Jaurès was a major figure in early 20th century French socialism).

Note: More dubious "tough" talk. Especially in light of the fact that there are 160,000 LEGAL immigrants to France very year, most of them Maghrebins or black Africans. I hope to have more on that in a future article.

Below Eric Besson (right) with his predecessor Brice Hortefeux. Neither one had the will (or the instructions from above) to stem immigration. If anything, it has increased. A few illegals are repatriated every year, only to be replaced by hordes of legal immigrants, as well as many illegals who enter and are amnestied.

Judicial Insanity

Surfing the web, I happened to see this article by Louis Chagnon posted at Bernard Antony's website. Louis Chagnon, about whom I have written in the past, has had his own problems with the French justice system, having been prosecuted for teaching certain unpleasant truths about Islam. Here he describes another incredible story of injustice in the courts:

The weekly journal Valeurs Actuelles has been ordered to pay a heavy fine in damages to Pierre Bodein, the murderer and torturer of three people, including two children, one of whom was little Jeanne-Marie Kegelin. On January 11, 2008, the journal published an article on the "necessary extension of jail sentences, out of a concern for public safety, of the most dangerous criminals". The article mentioned this pathetic individual given a life sentence in 2007 for the three murders, after having been released early from prison. Bodein filed a suit against the journal on grounds that it violated the "presumption of his innocence" since he was appealing the verdict. On October 2, 2008, Pierre Bodein was sentenced by the criminal court of appeals to life. The appeals court of Colmar did not take this verdict into account when it sustained the ruling to make Valeurs Actuelles pay damages to the torturer Pierre Bodein for "moral harm". How can anyone not be appalled by such judicial insanity! Today a torturer of the worst kind can calmly receive payment for damages because a weekly journal spoke of his crimes. The majority of citizens of this country know that the French justice system is no longer rendering Justice. It is urgent to change the law on the presumption of innocence to prevent morality from being destroyed utterly. Shame on the French Justice system!

Note: Pierre Bodein was found guilty of murdering Hedwige Vallée, 38, of kidnapping, raping and murdering Jeanne-Marie Kegelin, 10, and of kidnapping, raping and murdering Julie Scharsch, 14. He was also found guilty of two kidnapping attempts.

Bodein (below) is a member of the Yeniche community - a semi-nomadic group of unknown origin. The Yeniche always live in extended families and have their own language. There are short Wikipedia articles in French and English on this strange people.

A Feeling of Belonging

Nicolas Sarkozy's Commissoner on diversity, Algerian-born Yazid Sabeg, has been in the news recently with proposals designed to measure the ethnic make-up of the country.

His proposals will be unveiled to Sarkozy in greater detail on March 21, but the websites are already alive with criticism concerning his methods for achieving a race-free measurement of France's ethnic composition.

French speakers can hear a relatively short radio interview he gave on Europe 1 here.

While waiting for March 21, we can turn to this preview in Le Monde:

(...) Monsieur Sabeg grabbed the ball (thrown out by Sarkozy last December when he announced his intention to keep ethnic statistics) and ran with it, but took many precautions. He proposes a special committee, "very pluralistic", to examine the issue in detail and define the ways to apply the new measurement devices. According to Sabeg, the surveys will be based on voluntary, anonymous self-declarations.

It is out of the question to classify those surveyed by racial categories, as they do in the United States for example. "We will instead ask people how they define themselves, what they feel themselves to be," explains the Commissioner on diversity. "It is not about keeping files", he insists, "but on measuring discriminating factors other than social ones."

This means excluding any reference to one's birthplace, or to the nationality of one's parents or to one's family name. "At a time when we are concerned with national cohesion, it is not appropriate ("pertinent") to keep referring constantly to the origins of individuals," Sabeg points out.

Seeing as a major advancement the idea advocated by Socialists, who have introduced a bill authorizing surveys based on "a feeling of belonging" to a community, he says he is convinced that a consensus will soon be reached.

In addition to the above, those who listen to the radio interview linked above will hear Sabeg declare that "discrimination relating to ethnic characteristics has reached an intolerable level", that he now prefers the term "positive action" to the former "positive discrimination", that the Guadaloupean rebel leader Elie Domota is guilty of discrimination against a minority - the white bosses - because in Guadaloupe, as elsewhere in France, there must not be a separation of peoples, that Rachida Dati was at one time a good example of diversity, but is no longer the only example to follow (he was trying to avoid criticizing overtly her conduct, but his message was clear.)

His proposals have met with strong criticism from many quarters, including members of Sarkozy's UMP party, as well as leaders of SOS Racism, an anti-racism agency, that sees in ethnic statistics an invitation to ethnic separation.

Michèle Tribalat, is a demographer who has been vigorously advocating the use of reliable and objective methods of measuring ethnic composition for a long time. She has also written about the dangers of Islam and the oppressive nature of political correctness among the "bien-pensants" (we might say "bleeding-heart liberals"). Interested French readers can consult this long web page from Riposte Laïque, in which she discusses these and other related topics.

In a more recent interview with Marianne2, Michèle Tribalat took issue with Sabeg's ideas. Here are some excerpts:

- Yazid Sabeg wants to measure diversity. That is similar to the establishment of ethnic statistics that you have been advocating for so long, isn't it?

- No. I know what ethnic diversity is. But measuring diversity means what? Nothing. In truth it is a cover-up, fashionable today, that allows us to avoid certain words. Everyone knows that this is essentially about blacks and Arabs. Even if, in fact, the targeted categories are those enumerated in the law on discrimination.

- Yazid Sabeg explained that he would exclude from these statistics any reference to place of birth or nationality of parents. So, how will he proceed?

- I don't know. What I see is that he refutes anything of an objective nature, such as filiation. But filiation is what allows us to distinguish the generations. It is indispensable to the knowledge we are seeking. Moreover, Yazid Sabeg is forgetting that public statistics have only recently begun to incorporate questions on the parents' country of birth. It took 15 years to achieve this breakthrough. And now everything is up in the air again! (...)

- Certain opponents of ethnic statistics feel that they may bring to light truths that are not pleasant. What is your response?

- Statistics are necessary for knowledge. We must have statistics for that reason, not to achieve some expected result. I don't agree with those who refuse ethnic statistics on prison populations on grounds that the realities that would come to light - namely that most prisoners are of foreign origin - are unpleasant. Mainly because some did not wait around for statistics in order to say it was so, using estimates that were totally guessed at haphazardly. At least a real study would reduce the degree of guessing. (...)

Note: Sabeg has also announced plans to change the criteria for entering competitive high-school courses of study by emphasizing the "potential" and the "creativity" of students from the ghettoes, by favoring the "diversity of talents", by creating preparatory classes that would allow entry into technological courses, by developing work/study programs, i.e., where the students would work part of the time in a business connected to their courses - what we call "hands-on experience", with 5% of the positions in the business reserved for these students, and by promoting the use of anonymous resumés.

Source: Yahoo.

The photo shows Sabeg, obviously "feeling" very French (in the republican sense), next to a statue of Marianne, symbol of the French Republic.