Chirac chairs anti-Semitism talks

BBC ^ | 11/16/03

[nypokerface]

France is to hold a top-level meeting on fighting anti-Semitism following the firebombing of a Jewish boys' school.

President Jacques Chirac will meet Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and three of his top ministers on Monday before receiving Jewish leaders.

Nobody was injured in the fire at the Merkaz Hatorah school in Gagny, north of Paris, early on Saturday.

Attacks have been linked to Muslim youths angry about Israel's tough policies against Palestinian unrest.

Highly vigilant

"The French republic cannot tolerate any anti-Semitic act," Mr Chirac said in a statement. "More than anywhere else, school must be a place of tolerance and respect."

Mr Raffarin added that the government would be "highly vigilant against any anti-Semitic conduct or talk in schools".

Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy is to take part in the high-level talks, along with the ministers for justice and education.

More than anywhere else, schools must be a place of tolerance and respect

French President Jacques Chirac

Mr Sarkozy, who has taken a tough line against racist and anti-Semitic acts since the centre-right government came to power in May 2002, vowed the unknown arsonists would be severely punished.

France's swift response to the firebombing reflects concern in Paris about charges by Jews abroad that the country's ruling elite are anti-Semitic.

French Jewish leaders reject this, but admit to being worried about continued violence against their community.

[nypokerface]

They might as well let Yasser Arafat hold these talks.

[Mr. Mojo]

Too late, Jacques. You Frogs will all be bowing to Mecca 5 times a day in less than 30 years.

[headsonpikes]

The French clearly have first dibs on expressions of antisemitism - after all, they invented it!

Part of their civilizing mission to us lesser lumieres.

[rickmichaels]

France is to hold a top-level meeting on fighting anti-Semitism...

If this is really a fight, the perfidious cowards will naturally lose.

[ResultsNetwork]

I expect that the French will declare their surrender as soon as they determine who will accept it (perhaps the Grand Mufti of Paris????). (/scarasm off)

[Unam Sanctam]

J'accuse ... Jacques Chirac et al. Remember that it was a French diplomat who called Israel "that shitty little country".

[Print]

Desperate attempt to repair his (tarnished beyond repair) image.

[the Real fifi]

Indeed. Frnce has had about 200 such incidents in the past two years and not a single prosecution, Guess they are just figuring out who visits there and buys their stuff.

[Cicero]

The French cooperated eagerly with Hitler, rounding up their own Jews and putting them on trains to the East. For a while they concealed these proclivities, but now it's pretty well out in the open again.

This exercise is, as the French would say, a charade.

[Levante]

"The French republic cannot tolerate any anti-Semitic act," Mr Chirac said in a statement. "More than anywhere else, school must be a place of tolerance and respect."

Yeah, yeah, blah, blah. Words don't mean crap to these savages, Chirac!