Human rights group given the heave-ho by far-right Front National mayor

He promised during his election campaign that he would do it and Steeve Briois, the newly-installed far-right Front National mayor in the town of Hénin-Beaumont in the northern French département of Pas-de-Calais has proven true to his word.

Steeve Briois (screenshot AFP report)

In his first political act since taking office, Briois has suspended the grant to the local branch of the Ligue des droits de l’homme (Human Rights League, France - LDH) and ordered the association to vacate the premises it had occupied free of charge under the previous mayor.

"For years, the LDH (in Hénin-Beaumont) has benefited from grants and has been allowed the free use of local government-owned office space," said Briois.

"No lease been had ever been signed between the extreme left association and the previous mayor and the grant was completely illegal."

Hello? The LDH an "extreme left" assocation?

Well apparently so, as far as the FN is concerned because during the recent local election campaign, the president of the Ligue des droits de l’homme - Pas de Calais, Alain Pruvot, had warned "of the danger of the FN" and of the need to "block its way".

"We are quite aware of the danger there could be from the Front National gaining power in  Hénin-Beaumont and we want to make voters aware of that," Pruvot said at a press conference back in March.

"We want to counter ideologically the FN and show how dangerous it potentially is."

http://www.bfmtv.com/politique/henin-beaumont-ldh-met-garde-contre-dangerosite-fn-735092.html

For Briois, that was tantamout to a non-governmental organisation meddling in politics, and cited a 2002 ruling by the Conseil d'Etat which declared that "organisations that fought a political party whose existence was legally recognised could not be subsidised."

In reality though, Briois was probably just following a line set down by the party's leader, Marine Le Pen, during the run-up to the local elections when she had said in an interview with Le Monde that associations should be "put up against the wall, to show them that they mustn't  interfere in the political debate."

As far as the LDH is concerned, the FN's arguments might be legal but they also come "with a whiff of a witch hunt."

"The LDH is a political organisation but not a partisan one," its regional delegate, Georges Voix, said.

"We're not fighting a political party but an ideology."

Sarkozy's summertime government spring clean

A Mitterrand enters government as Sarkozy makes a bigger-than-expected reshuffle. But what happened to the women in government and human rights?

All right so a French government reshuffle has been very much on the cards for some time now.

There had to be one, especially as the (now former) justice minister, Rachida Dati, and (ditto) agriculture minister, Michel Barnier, successfully stood for election to the European parliament earlier this month and were thus forced to quite their days jobs.

But the announcement of the new line-up came a day earlier than planned. It had to in a sense because the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, found his hand somewhat forced by the obvious joy of one new member of his team, who clearly couldn't contain his delight and actually told the media of his new job on Tuesday afternoon.

Frédéric Mitterrand enters the government as the culture minister, replacing Christine Albanel.

If the name sounds familiar, it should. He's none other than the nephew of the former Socialist president (1981-95) François. But have no fears, the appointment of the 61-year-old isn't exactly an example of a further opening up of the government as he is far from having the reputation of being a man of the Left.

Instead he comes with a long cultural pedigree, if you will, having been a television presenter, writer and producer, and since June last year he has held the prestigious position of director of Académie de France (French Academy) in the Villa Medici in Rome.

There are eight new appointments to the new government, nine ministers have changed jobs and 17 have stayed put. Of the eight who are leaving, Dati, Barnier, Albanel and Christine Boutin (the former housing minister) held frontline posts.

Among the most notable changes are Michèle Alliot-Marie's (MAM) move from the interior ministry to justice, where she takes over from Dati.

Meanwhile after just five months at the employment ministry, Brice Hortefeux, Sarkozy's long-time buddy and political ally, finally gets his hands on the ministry he has wanted all along as he replaces MAM.

There are more musical chairs, of sorts, as the minister of education, Xavier Darcos, moves to employment, and Luc Chatel, while remaining the spokesman for the government will now take on Darcos's old job.

So although the reshuffle is perhaps bigger than many had expected it still includes many of the same faces.

While much of the media focus here has understandably been on Mitterrand's appointment, little attention has been paid so far to two pledges Sarkozy made when he first came to power; to include more women in the government and to make human rights a linchpin of French foreign policy.

The reshuffle illustrates that neither seems to be among his priorities at the moment.

Take gender parity for example, and just look at the figures, which surely speak volumes. There are now a total of 39 ministers in government - frontline cabinet and junior combined.

Before the reshuffle there were seven women in charge of ministries, now there are just four; at finance, health, justice and higher education.

But that's all right isn't it, because the number of women now holding junior ministerial posts has been bumped up from seven to nine.

Gender parity indeed according to Sarkozy's interpretation presumably!

But just as important is another pledge Sarkozy made back in 2007 to include the respect for human rights as a vital part of France’s foreign policy.

True to his word he created a position in government - appointing Rama Yade as a junior minister reporting immediately to the foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner.

So what has happened in the reshuffle? Yade has been moved to the post of junior minister for sport and her old job.....wait for it.....has been done away with. That's right, it no longer exists.

Perhaps Yade should count herself lucky though that she has a job of any sort as she has had more than a few run-ins with her big boss over the past couple of years and has frequently been hauled in for private ticking-offs.

She also received a none-too-well-disguised public dressing down from Sarkozy at the beginning of this year after she refused to be pushed to stand for election to the European parliament, which would have seen her forced to leave the government had she been successful.

Still at least her former immediate boss, foreign minister Bernard Kouchner, must be a happy man this morning.

In an interview with one of the country's newspapers last December, Kouchner said that it had been a mistake to appoint a junior minister responsible for human rights as "foreign policy cannot be conducted only in terms of how human rights functions".

Sarkozy, it would seem, now agrees.

The composition of the new government (in French)

Sarkozy backtracks on human rights promise

When running for office last year, the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy vowed to include the respect for human rights as a vital part of France’s foreign policy.

Yet during his two-day state visit to Tunisia, he has not only failed to live up to that promise, but also left international and local human rights groups aghast as he went as far as to congratulate his Tunisian counterpart, Zine al Abidine Ben Ali, for the efforts he had made in improving his country’s human rights record.

It was a case of Sarkozy turning a blind eye to the facts and preferring to concentrate on Tunisia’s fight against terrorism, which he called the “true enemy of democracy.”

“I come from a continent whose recent history includes abominable tragedies,” Sarkozy said.

“ And I cannot see in whose name I have the right to start giving lessons especially to a country where I have come as a friend and where I am treated as one.”

Sarkozy went on to praise Ben Ali for the progress he had made in improving civil liberties and human rights, declaring that he was confident those efforts would be continued.

While Tunisia may well be recognised as one the north Africa’s most westernised countries, Ben Ali’s regime is constantly under fire from international groups for its abuse of human rights. And there are a few facts that Sarkozy cannot possibly have overlooked, even though he seems to have chosen to do so.

Ben Ali has been in power for over 20 years and elections are far from being free and democratic by any stretch of the imagination, with political opposition barely represented. Current estimates put the number of political prisoners in the country at around the 200 mark and opponents of the ruling regime have no access to the state run media. Human rights groups accuse the government of regularly beating and jailing opponents, accusations that it denies. It goes without saying that the press is not free

But all that seems to have escaped Sarkozy’s attention even though he declares himself to be a defender of human rights.

Once again business has won the day with the power of the chequebook proving the most persuasive argument for Sarkozy and his entourage of leading French industrialists. Deals worth billions of euros were signed by both Airbus and Alstom.

All eyes will now be on the outspoken French junior minister for human rights, Rama Yade, to see whether she will fall into line with the statements of her boss or be more critical. Yade is due to meet representatives from Tunisian human rights groups on Tuesday.

Tunisian test for Sarkozy's human rights policy

The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, begins a state visit to Tunisia on Monday during which he’ll once again be promoting French industry. He’s also expected to put the finishing touches to his pet project of a Mediterranean Union.

But there’s likely to be an uncomfortable undertone throughout the whole trip. Although human rights will not be topping the agenda, Sarkozy will face a stern test of both his stance on the issue and his recent promise not to tolerate any more controversial statements from some of his ministers

Over the years Tunisia has come in for a great deal of international condemnation for its abuse of human rights, and local non-governmental organisations are hoping the issue will be addressed during the visit.

But Sarkozy has often been accused of pursuing a foreign policy, which puts commercial interests ahead of considerations for human rights and his visit to Tunisia will probably follow a similar pattern.

He’ll be surrounded by a gaggle of leading French industrialists representing the usual suspects that regularly accompany him on foreign trips including Airbus and Alstom.

Also part of his entourage however, is Rama Yade, the junior minister for human rights.

The outspoken Yade has already embarrassed her boss on a couple of occasions. Last year she criticised the human rights record of Libyan leader Muammar Ghaddafi while he was in Paris on a buying spree – echoing the thoughts of many at the time.

And more recently there was her infamous interview with the French daily, Le Monde, in which she said Sarkozy had set a number of conditions on China before he would confirm whether he would attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic games in Beijing. She later claimed she had been misquoted.

Even though a fair amount of attention will be directed towards her and whether she keeps quiet, there’s no denying that the real purpose of the visit is trade yet again.

As well as being a consummate politician, Sarkozy is probably also one of France’s best salesmen. He’ll be looking to ease a deal with Tunisian airlines, which is looking to renew its fleet and jolly along the possibility of France exporting its expertise in nuclear technology. In the pipeline is an agreement to build a reactor for civil energy purposes along the lines of deals already struck with Libya and Algeria.

When Sarkozy meets the Tunisian president, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, he’ll also be looking to finalise plans for his own pet project – the setting up of a Mediterranean Union. Planned as a forum for boosting political and economic dialogue between the 27-member European Union and North African countries, details are due to be officially unveiled in Paris on July 13 after France takes over the six-month rotating presidency of the EU.

Past evidence suggests that Sarkozy will aim to come home with an armful of contracts, but at what cost in terms of addressing the problem of Tunisia’s poor track record on human rights.

In spite of the promises he made just last week, he might once again find himself allowing Yade free rein to say what he feels, as head of state, unable to declare on the record.

Christmas shopping and chequebook diplomacy

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is in town for a five-day visit, camped in the centre of Paris in his luxury Bedouin tent and with a mere 400-strong entourage.

But more importantly he’s here on a pre-Christmas spending spree and has already signed deals with French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, worth €10 billion.

The agreement includes an order for 21 Airbus aircraft, 14 Rafale fighter jets, which incidentally nobody else wants to buy, and a nuclear power plant – for civilian purposes of course.

France, which prides itself as being a standard bearer for human rights and actually has an internationally recognised humanitarian in Bernard Kouchner as foreign minister, has under Sarkozy, studiously ignored Gaddafi’s appalling human rights record.

Indeed Sarkozy has justified his chequebook diplomacy by asserting that France must “speak with all of those who want to return to the road of respectability and reintegrate the international community”.

Oh well that’s all fine and dandy then. Business comes first and clearly €10 billion helps make it easier to ignore the often-alleged torture of prisoners and Gaddafi’s former support for terrorists.

And what great planning to have the Libyan leader’s ‘plane touch down on French soil on International Human Rights day.

The loudest voice of dissent came from Sarkozy’s junior minister for human rights, Rama Yade. Mind you she hasn’t exactly been in the president’s good books recently as witnessed by her being dropped at the last minute from the official delegation during last month’s billion-Euro-contract trip to China.

On Monday, Yade complained to the press about the timing of Gaddafi’s visit and her comments quickly had her hauled in to the presidential HQ – the Elysee Palace – for a severe 20-minute talking to.

Yade left promising to remain quiet and determined not to resign in protest. And that has led some cynics to suggest that in fact Sarkozy himself orchestrated the whole outburst.

It is suggested that he is content to play the boo-man to Yade’s good gal image as long as it helps rake in the contracts for France. Pure fiction?

Well perhaps not. Interestingly enough Yade’s immediate boss, Kouchner, has been noticeably silent about Gaddafi’s visit even though given his track record he cannot be that enthusiastic. Meanwhile the prime minister, Francois Fillon has been shipped off to Argentina for the inauguration of that country’s newly elected president, Cristina Kirchner.

The Socialists and some centre-right politicians have threatened a boycott of parliament on Tuesday when Gaddafi is due to address them. But it’s all really a little half-hearted – and more than a little late.

Slightly odd isn’t it that the loudest voice of dissent comes from within the government itself, from a minister who is no longer talking?

The only conclusion is that once again Sarkozy has trashed human rights and taken complete control for done deals.

A Merry Christmas indeed.

Grand gestures and big business

If there’s one thing that has characterised the recent change in French foreign policy, it’s the increase in pragmatism since Nicolas Sarkozy became president in May.

Shortly after he came to office he called for a new way of thinking, a New Deal for the world – economically and ecologically – with France taking a lead role. But is Sarkozy’s vision really one of foreign policy that includes the necessary recognition of human rights and principles of democracy? Or is it rather full of grand gestures, showmanship and pandering to the needs of big business? In short what are his principles?

His latest foray has all the markings of yet another potential media circus about it, albeit a rather delicate issue. Sarkozy has taken the unusual step of appealing directly (on television of course) to the leader of the Colombian rebel movement for the release of a French-Colombian hostage, Ingrid Betancourt. She has been held prisoner since February 2002 when she was kidnapped while campaigning for the Colombian presidency.

Sarkozy’s direct intervention came just days after a video was released showing Betancourt in a weak and gaunt state. The French president has made her release one of his priorities and if he pulls it off it will undoubtedly be racked up as a major political coup.

Of course it will also be fully (over) covered by the media here in much the same way as his intervention was a few months ago in the release of the Bulgarian nurses and Palestinian doctor in Libya who had been accused of infecting children with HIV, or the repatriation of a Spanish cabin crew from Chad in November following the outcry over a French non-governmental organisation’s alleged attempts to “traffic” children.

Sarkozy is clearly a great showman and revels in grand gestures. Such symbolism though loses its impact when the major driving force behind foreign policy turns out to be economic.

There’s perhaps nothing new in a country’s leader setting out to pursue a foreign policy in terms of what is perceived to be in the national interest. Everyone does it. What is so different about Sarkozy is that he is far less subtle about it.

Every official state visit so far has been a chance to sign contracts worth billions of euros to French companies – high-speed trains to Morocco, ‘planes and power plants to China or energy deals in Algeria.

He has preferred to downplay any mention of human rights issues, even going so far as to stop the minister responsible, Rama Yade, from joining him on his trip to Beijing. And there was no attempt to put pressure on French oil giant, Total, to ease back on its investments in Burma during last month’s violent government crackdown on democracy protestors in Rangoon.

His remarks during a speech in Algiers that France’s colonial system had been “profoundly unjust” and contradictory to the founding principles of the French republic, liberty, equality and fraternity were commendable.

In a twist of doublespeak, he also raised the issue of how Algeria was as unwelcoming of some of its sons and daughters as France was often accused of being. A reference to the plight of Algerians (known as Harkis) who had fought for France during the North African country’s long war of independence from 1956-62.

The Harkis that fled to France after the war were held in internment camps and have suffered decades of discrimination, while those who stayed in Algeria were massacred or imprisoned.

While France’s present and past in North Africa will always be full of contradictions – for which Sarkozy cannot be held completely responsible - the same cannot be said for his exact understanding of the term democracy.

It came in from some serious questioning from European neighbours after last week’s parliamentary election in Russia.

Collectively the European Union queried the very nature of the ballot with Germany’s Angela Merkel going as far as to describe it flatly as neither free nor democratic.

Sarkozy, it appears had no such qualms, personally calling the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, to congratulate him on his party’s victory. An odd move perhaps from a man who, since coming to office, has already been much more critical of Russia’s human rights record than his predecessor, Jacques Chirac.

Opposition politicians in France have suggested that Sarkozy is perhaps once again putting economic interests first, paving the way for more deals, such as one Renault has finalised with Russian car manufacturer Lada.

Similar interests also figure high in criticism of next week’s planned visit to France by Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi for the first rime in more than 30 years. Gaddafi will meet Sarkozy twice during his five-day trip with yet more trade contracts on the table.

Back in July the two countries announced an arms deal worth €275 million – Libya’s first with a western country since the EU lifted an embargo in 2004

Clearly Sarkozy is a man of many principles.