René Galinier - Update

The incarceration of René Galinier continues to make headlines. On Tuesday (August 17), the District Attorney of the Appeals Court of Montpellier asked that "Papy René" be kept in prison.

Also on Tuesday, there was a demonstration in support of René Galinier in his village of Nissan-lez-Ensérune (above) and in front of the prison where he is being held.

The Ligue du Midi, the regional party of patriots mentioned in my previous article on Galinier, is demanding the immediate release of René Galinier and the end of all legal action against him:

The Ligue du Midi declares that "Today the system only leaves two options open to decent people: either get killed or go to jail. The first is what happened to the tobacco shop worker in Montpellier when she did not defend herself, the second is what has befallen René Galinier who did not tolerate an illegitimate break-in. Laxness and cowardice on the part of the authorities are the only causes of these tragedies."

Note: On August 11, Le Figaro reported the brutal murder of a young woman, 22, who was working in her mother's tobacco shop in what was considered to be a "peaceful" neighborhood of Montpellier. A customer found the body with multiple stab wounds in the thorax and abdomen, lying in the back room, adhesive tape on her mouth. There was no sign that she resisted. How could she resist a thug or thugs if she had no weapon?

A paper petition demanding the release of René Galinier was initiated shortly after his arrest by his village of Nissan-lez-Ensérune, and has 7000 signatures as of now, said defense attorney Bousquet. An Internet petition also demanding his release has nearly 8000 signatures, and there are 2000 members of the Facebook group "Soutien à papy René Galinier le septuagénaire incarcéré".

In another show of support, UMP deputy Christian Vanneste has written a letter to Minister of Justice Michèle Alliot-Marie requesting that she release René Galinier.


A reminder that deputy Vanneste (left), though a member of the UMP party, has had his differences with Nicolas Sarkozy. Vanneste, a practicing Catholic, opposed special privileges for homosexuals, including gay marriage. He delivered a speech in the National Assembly in 2005 explaining his views and was fined and sued several times over two or three years. He was finally acquitted of all charges, though he is considered a "homophobe" by the gay community. Many Catholics wonder why he stayed in the UMP party, which is openly pro-gay rights. I think the answer is that he is basically what we would call a "liberal", but not on certain issues, such as the non-negotiable points of the Church. His letter is a bit long. Here are some excerpts:

Madame Minister:

Because you have always represented to me the greatest sense of the State and of republican values, I call on you today regarding the disastrous effect on the population caused by the continued detention of René Galinier.

It seems to me more indispensable than ever to restore confidence in the French Justice system. It is not just one domain among others, but rather the most important mission of the State.

This confidence rests on the certitude that Justice is equal for all (...) and that it is coherent. Detaining René Galinier reveals a double incoherence and a great inequality.

He explains that this arrest is incoherent with regard to the current prison policy of the government that aims to reduce the prison population. He points out that this man is old, and that he did what he did in the context of a burglary of which he was the victim. He goes on to the "racist" aspects of the case:

Furthermore, he appears to be incarcerated because of his act and, according to television information, because of certain "racist" remarks he is supposed to have made. In other words, you are combining in this matter a useless preventative detention with a punishment that serves as an example to others, even before he has been judged.

Note: He is being held because he shot at the two women, but this detention is also serving as a warning to others who might be tempted to make racist remarks.

He goes on to cite numerous criminals who have been released, whose crimes were far more serious than anything Galinier did: a man who raped a minor, two men with hammers who attacked police, and, going back in time, several extreme left-wing terrorists and assassins that the French government chose not to pursue.

Thus, we now have to know who is powerful and who is lowly before the courts can decide favorably or unfavorably. At a time when the neighborhoods (i.e. ghettos) are subjected to the law of drug traffickers seeking to evince the police, at a time when more and more old people are attacked in their homes in "home-jackings", is it acceptable that our Justice system is more clement towards a youth who attacks policemen that towards an old man, more a victim than a perpetrator?

The readers' responses to Vanneste's letter are on the whole very positive. There is one interesting comment from someone named Sylvie in which we learn that René Galinier is very ill:

- Yesterday morning (August 18) I sent an e-mail to President Sarkozy, urging that he release this honest citizen Monsieur Galinier, citing the health problems that beset him.

I explained that this old gentleman of 73 needed to receive chemotherapy and to continue medical treatments, but it had to be at home, not in prison. Every year cancer kills millions of people and Monsieur Galinier is afflicted with this disease.

According to our current laws, a seriously ill person cannot be kept in prison. He must be hospitalized or taken home with medical assistance.

Monsieur Galinier must be released. Otherwise the people will take the law into their own hands. There is the risk of riots if he is not released and you know what public opinion is - in the next election things may turn against you if the voters choose the Front National. Marine Le Pen could receive a double-digit score in 2012 (between 20 and 25%). Be advised! The French people are tired of the incompetence and the insecurity that reign everywhere. They demand a return to public order and to the right to defend oneself against thugs. The two women who broke into Monsieur Galinier's home are illegals in France... They should be sent back to Rumania. (...)

Note: It's hard to say if she is really afraid Marine gets a lot of votes, or if she is hoping she does. Several readers expressed fear of the Front National, if Sarkozy doesn't act quickly. They don't seem to realize that Sarkozy's UMP party has acquiesced on most if not all of his Socialist agenda. Nor are Vanneste's readers able to conceive of the FN as anything other than undesirable. But then, how do they regard the UMP? As "conservative"? As "middle-of-the-road"? As the only hope for France?

Here is another comment:

- If René Galinier were not an ethnic Frenchman, he would already be free, because there would have been massive demonstrations in front of the prison, cars set on fire everywhere. The funny thing about this, if I may say so, is the observation by the prosecutor who said that the defense was not proportionate to the attack. So in the mind of this lawyer, it goes without saying that it would have been better if Galinier had been killed, before shooting back.

There were also a few comments hostile to Christian Vanneste, accusing him of supporting the UMP, except every now and then when some issue like this one arises.

Below, the demonstration in front of Béziers prison where René Galinier is being held.


Since the two women who broke into René Galinier's home were Rumanian gypsies, and since some gypsies have been expelled from France amidst cries of "racism!", it is interesting to note this item from Le Salon Beige:

Ilie Dinca, head of the national agency for Roms was questioned by the Rumanian press agency Hotnews:

- Dani Rockhoff: Is it discriminatory to send large groups of Rom citizens back to Rumania?

- Ilie Dinca: So long as they recognize that they will return and that they agree to this sum of 300 euro per adult and 100 euro per child, I say thank you to the French authorities who gave these Rumanian citizens of Rom ethnicity the chance to spend their vacation in Rumania. They paid for the air fare and they paid these sums. I am convinced that those who want to return will return.

If I understand this correctly, expulsion from France means a free vacation back home in Rumania and then a return to France!!! All expenses paid!

Since I managed to get on the topic of expulsions, I'll close with this item from Yves Daoudal:

"In absolute urgency", the government sent Ali Ibrahim El Soudany, a "radical Islamist imam" back to Egypt on Thursday. He had already been expelled in January.

The communiqué from Brice Hortefeux is identical to the one from January 7.

A stupid question: What is the point of expelling him every eight months?

It's true that the same scenario is used for the Roms. Except with them, they're given money so they can come back with their cousins. It's nicer.