As some of you may have noticed, I have on occasions bitched about France (I'm French), saying it is by and large a homophobic, racist country... And it is. But something is happening here of which I am proud, and proud to be part of it.
Roughly 75% of the people here are more and more openly racist and xenophobic; our government, whose head (Chirac) is a clown, and a corrupt one, is right wing veering to the extreme. So they are naturally prone to heeding the people's growing sympathy for the National Front, our own neo-nazi party. To the point of advocating what that party has been advocating since it appeared on the political scene in the 1980's, ie, massive deportations of "non-French", understand mostly "non-whites". So the Minister of Interior has been speeding up deportations of immigrants who have not been granted asylum here when they risk being killed or jailed once they return to their countries of origin. They are deported even when they have children who were born in France, including when the partner/spouse is French.
Now, I am ashamed of this. BUT, an association was created last year, initiated by teachers but now made up of people from all walks of life. It has launched a nationwide petition stating that those who sign it promise to protect those people and their children who risk deportation and their lives. We are fully aware that it is against the law, and that we may be jailed for it.
24,000 have signed this petition in just ONE week! I am proud of all those people, and those who are to sign yet. I have signed the petition; this country is well-known for having had more collaborators with the nazis than resistants during WWII, so this might be a drop in the ocean, but I am hoping it will turn into a tidal wave. Just to show we've moved on since the 40's.
What are you proud of?
