FRANCE: Le Pen gets hostile reception in Paris suburb and at elite university

Far-right presidential candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen paid a visit to the Paris suburb of Argenteuil on Friday (April 6), where in 2005 Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy pronounced he would clear the neighbourhood of "riff-raff" after serious rioting by young, mainly immigrant protesters. Le Pen's visit was seen as a direct challenge to Sarkozy, standing as the conservative candidate in next month's presidential election. His comment was considered to have inflamed the rioting, and he has not been able to return to the neighbourhood since. Le Pen has previously criticised candidates' visits to poor housing estates as gimmicks and token gestures. When Argenteuil residents asked him what he could do for them, he said: "Firstly I would like to take you out of theses ghettos, and to introduce policies that will allow you to work." Le Pen said he was not afraid of going to under-privileged areas because he believed dialogue was always possible. "I came here to tell you that I am not afraid to go anywhere in France. I am not afraid of people's hostility because I believe we can talk," he said. Some residents said they did not object candidates visiting their neighbourhoods but the recent series of visits was no more than an attempt to win votes. "You don't have to be scared of us. If you come like you do today, introducing yourself, then there's no problem. The only thing that you have to avoid doing, is provoking people," said an Argenteuil resident. Not all residents were convinced by Le Pen's claims to have changed his policies on immigration. "OK. so he came to Argenteuil, but so what? He is still an extremist, he is still the man we know, he will never change. Even with the media circus surrounding him, we all know what he wants and we all know what he's doing," said Mehdi, Argenteuil resident. Le Pen told a small audience of residents: "I did not come here today to create a publicity and media circus. I came here to give you hope, hope for your future. I will not forget your problems and I will solve them. All the others have all promised you the moon. But look where they've left you. I will keep my promises because I am a man of honour. I would like to thank all of you for allowing me to speak here, where not even our former interior minister does not dare to come. Long live the republic, long live France, long live freedom." A resident contrasted Le Pen's visit to Argenteuil with Sarkozy's failure to go there: "He can do whatever he likes. What I find amusing is that not even the former interior minister was able to come to Argenteuil. And a guy, who is demonised like Jean-Marie Le Pen has managed to come here. How can that happen?" Le Pen was given a hostile reception on Thursday (April 5) when he aspoke at the elite Sciences Po university in Paris. He tried to address students but his entourage hustled him away after he was greeted by constant jeering. "Listen, It is harder to come here to Sciences Po than to go to poor housing estates," he told them. "They are more polite and better brought up." Le Pen was the last candidate to speak at a day-long presidential election forum on women's issues organised at Sciences Po, one of France's best universities. In the 2002 election, Le Pen shocked France by finishing second. Opinion polls put him in fourth place in the current campaign and he says he is confident of winning a place in the second round on May 6. TB/AD

ITN Source | April 7, 2007

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