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Charlie Hebdo attack


The Observer



French unity against terrorism may not last far beyond Paris march









The march is sure to be an impressive show of solidarity, but politicians and citizens alike will be walking for different reasons














Officials join hundreds of thousands of people on a Je Suis Charlie march in Nice, France. Photograph: Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images




Kim Willsher in Paris


Saturday 10 January 2015 09.14 EST







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Je suis Charlie. Nous sommes Charlie. La France est Charlie.
Under the banner Tous Unis! (All United), France’s Socialist government has called for a show of national unity after three days of bloodshed that were seen as a direct blow to the republican values of liberté, égalité and fraternité.
On Sunday, David Cameron and Angela Merkel, as well as the Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko, Matteo Renzi, prime minister of Italy, and the Spanish premier, Mariano Rajoy – among 30 world leaders in all – will take part in one of the most significant public occasions in the history of postwar France.
Behind what is sure to be an impressive, emotional show of solidarity, however, cracks have already appeared, suggesting political unity in France is unlikely to hold out much beyond the three-kilometre march from Place de la République to Place de la Nation.
While almost everyone is Charlie when it comes to defending the fundamental values of the French republic, there is less unity when it comes to dealing with threats to those values.
It was almost inevitable that the far-right Front National – which has linked immigration from France’s former north African colonies to Islamist terrorism – was the first to break ranks. The party’s leader, Marine Le Pen, complained of being banned, or at least not formally invited to Sunday’s march. And her father, Jean-Marie, the provocative former paratrooper and the FN’s honorary president, showed that, at 86, he is still spoiling for a scrap.
“Keep Calm and Vote Le Pen,” he tweeted. Later he told journalists: “National unity my arse, we [FN] have been sidelined. I deplore the deaths of 12 French people, but I’m not Charlie at all. I’m Charlie Martel, if you know what I mean.”
The reference to the first-century Frankish leader Charles Martel, who is credited with halting the Islamic advance into Christian western Europe at the Battle of Tours in 732, was picked up by other far-right supporters.
While the FN claimed that the 25% of French voters who supported the party in the European elections last year were being victimised, it was clear that other march participants, who span the political spectrum – including the Communist party, Europe Ecologie-Les Verts, the Parti Radical de Gauche, Le Mouvement Republicain et Citoyen, and the opposition UMP, as well as anti-racist and Muslim organisations – were not enthusiastic at the idea of walking alongside the Le Pens and their followers.
Julian Dray, co-founder of campaign group SOS Racisme, said the unity being called for was not one that included the FN. “It’s not that kind of unity; it’s unity around the values of the republic. Otherwise there’s confusion, and if there’s confusion it doesn’t make sense,” he told Europe 1 radio.
He was backed by Eric Coquerel of the Parti de Gauche. Asked if the FN should take part in the march, he replied: “Of course not. It’s a demonstration in honour of Charlie Hebdo’s values and a certain idea of the republic.”
However, a former prime minister, François Fillon from the UMP, told Agence France-Presse: “We cannot talk of national unity and exclude several million French people [who vote FN].”
France’s political class ridiculed the FN’s complaints of rejection, saying all were welcome at the demonstration of unity. “We’re not sending out invitations to stand up and be counted,” said Claude Bartolone, Socialist president of the lower house of France’s parliament, the Assemblée Nationale. The prime minister, Manuel Valls, added: “All citizens can come; there are no blocks.”
As Madani Cheurfa of Cevipof, the respected political research institute, admitted: “Unity is complicated. This is the nature of the French spirit. There will be widespread unity on Sunday to condemn these terrorist acts and the attack on freedom of speech, and to show the need to stand up to the attackers.
“We have seen in the past how drama creates national cohesion, whether it be a terrorist attack or perhaps happier moments, like national sporting victories. The order of the day is unity, but people will be standing up for different, sometimes inverse, reasons.”
Cheurfa said the FN’s complaints were a “manufactured row”, and that the situation was far more complicated for members of France’s estimated five-million-strong Muslim population, who would be in the spotlight.
Despite French Muslim leaders’ early condemnation of the attacks and repeated appeals not to associate Muslims with the actions of extremists, there have been dozens of attacks on mosques since Wednesday. One member of the community, Sonia, who described herself as “proud and dignified to be French, Arab and Muslim”, said that, like many others, she did not dare to attend Sunday’s march. “I’d like to hold up a placard saying ‘Je suis Charlie’, but I’m Muslim and I’m afraid of being insulted,” she told the 20 Minutes newspaper.
The French have a strong tradition of street demonstrations. The principal aim of Sunday’s gathering is – as the front page of Libération suggested in its one-word headline, “Résister” – about standing up to be counted.
An Ifop poll on Saturday showed that fear of a terrorist threat was felt by 93% of the population. Confidence in the police – who were applauded when they arrived at the supermarket siege on Friday – has risen to 87% of those polled.
Hollande, the most unpopular president in modern French history, found his approval rating had risen by 10 percentage points to 51% after the Charlie Hebdo attack. Cheurfa said: “By inviting all the political leaders to the Elysée, Hollande has lived up to the role of defender of the republic and also president of all the people, over and above political allegiances. It’s a secondary effect of what has happened.
“We are in the first phase of reaction after this national drama, but very quickly there will be a second phase of party politics, polemic and disagreement. I give it another two or three days.”
As the tragedy unfolded in France, some analysts likened it to America’s – and the world’s – 9/11 watershed.
Valls said on Saturday there was a “before and an after” Charlie Hebdo for France. “It will be an unusual demonstration that will no doubt go down in history. It will be strong, dignified and show the strength and dignity of the French people, who will shout their love for liberty and tolerance. Come in numbers.”



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