Version imprimable"I understand the mayors who, in this moment of tension, have reacted by looking for solutions to avoid public order disturbances. (...) So I support those who have issued bans, if they are motivated by the desire to encourage living together without political ulterior motive,” Mr Valls said in Provence. Or a masterly demonstration of how to say the opposite of what one does! For mayors who make orders banning “burkinis” and Valls in supporting them do not solve any problems, they create one from scratch. Like JP Chevènement, tipped in a spurt of national unity to chair the Foundation for Islam in France, who, in his first speech, advises Muslims to show “discretion”, a whole programme! These statements consciously maintain a racist and Islamophobic climate, which then allows hundreds of people to demonstrate as they did in Bastia with the exclusionary cry “We’re at home here”. They are preparing explosions of street violence and rolling out the red carpet for the FN nationally who will just reap the benefits in the elections.
The NPA denounces this instrumentalisation of women’s rights and defends women’s right to freely decide for their own bodies against those who want to force them to cover or uncover them.
In the name of fighting terrorism the government has created a permanent state of emergency. Racism, Islamophobia are aimed at making these attacks on freedom acceptable through stigmatizing a particularly exploited and oppressed part of the population, designated as potentially dangerous.
Erecting barriers to enclose all in their supposed “community” and prevent solidarity and a common fightback against antisocial and repressive policies, this is the dreadful trap before us!
Faced with this sickening outburst and the law and order offensive, a broad-based response is needed against racism and Islamophobia, against repression and the state of emergency, for equal rights.
Montreuil, August 17, 2016
