French leader rejects racism but colonial statues to remain
Source: AP
By SYLVIE CORBET and ANGELA CHARLTON
PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed Sunday to stand firm against racism but also praised police and insisted that France wouldn’t take down statues of controversial, colonial-era figures, as he addressed the issues for the first time since George Floyd’s death in the U.S.
In a televised address to the nation on Sunday evening, Macron called for the nation’s “unity” at a key moment when the country is trying to put the coronavirus crisis behind while being shaken by a series of protests against racial injustice and police brutality.
Echoing American protesters, demonstrators in France have expressed anger at discrimination within French society, particularly toward minorities from the country’s former colonies in Africa.
Unusually for a French leader, Macron acknowledged that someone’s “address, name, color of skin” can reduce their chances at succeeding in French society, and called for a fight to ensure that everyone can “find their place” regardless of ethnic origin or religion. He promised to be “uncompromising in the face of racism, anti-Semitism and discrimination.”
FILE - In this Monday, May 4, 2020 file photo, French President Emmanuel Macron listens during an international video conference call on vaccination, at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Macron is giving an address to his nation Sunday, June 14, 2020 after an unusually long silence, as France faces both exceptional economic blowback from the virus pandemic and rekindled anger over deep-seated racism. In a televised evening address, Macron is expected to focus mainly on the virus that has plunged France into its worst crisis since World War II. (Gonzalo Fuentes/Pool via AP, File)
Read more: https://apnews.com/8825a7fce7d07e4d91b4d248fa411a8a
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