::

 
The Magic of Marseille

So the Tour de France was disrupted today by protesters in Marseille. Merde in France has a running account of the "farmer" Jose Bove who is at the center of the protests as well as this organization.

Here is a sentimental account of how Bove helped "dismantle" a Milan McDonalds in 1999 (Psst - the reason for the attack? It was the cheese).

Those unfamiliar with French politics should note the special place that Marseille is. It is home to the power base of Jean-Marie Le Pen, the xenophobe who gains more and more political mindshare with each French election cycle. Marseille has also had a Communist as mayor since World War II. It is a town of extremes and apparent contradictions.

Marseille is also where immigration of muslims from North Africa is most acutely felt. Paris tries to pretend that its national policies have not failed to integrate Muslims, and that there is no Islamification of Arab immigrants occurring within the country. The discontented of Marseille deal with the issue in the classic French style that manifests itself when the country is pushed hard - by calling for expulsions en-masse.

Marseille was a major port of the Vichy with a well developed rail head, and Jews who lived there did not fare well in the Holocaust -the few survivors know that expulsion en-masse can actually be done.


Adam Sullivan, 13:45 | 0 comments