No Need to Wonder Who AFP Likes in the French Election Next Sunday

Photo of Tom Blumer.
By Tom Blumer (Bio | Archive)
April 16, 2007 - 07:15 ET

You just have to read two supposedly "objective" news stories from April 12 to see where Agence France-Presse (AFP) stands.

Here is one on immigration:

France shows harsh face to some immigrants

PARIS, April 12, 2007 (AFP) - France shows a harsh, intolerant face to the thousands of illegal immigrants it deports every year under tough new policies adopted by Nicolas Sarkozy, the man tipped to become the nation's next president.

And then there's inevitable "right-wing crazy man" angle (again, in an "objective" report):

Sarkozy's personality under attack in campaign

PARIS, April 12, 2007 (AFP) - Quick-tempered, arrogant, divisive, even dangerous: French presidential front-runner Nicolas Sarkozy is facing mounting attacks on his personality as he heads into the first round of voting in just over a week.

Sarkozy's rivals in the April 22 race have zeroed in on what is widely seen as the right-wing candidate's Achilles heel: his inability to shed the tough-guy reputation earned during his days as interior minister.

A new tell-all book went on sale in stores this week by former minister Azouz Begag, who recounts that Sarkozy threatened to "smash" his face in after the minister criticised his handling of the suburban riots in late 2005.

..... Socialist candidate Segolene Royal and centrist Francois Bayrou point to Sarkozy's status as persona non grata in the suburbs to chip away at his credibility, saying France needs a president who will be a unifying force.

..... After sparring with Sarkozy over rioting in a Paris train station last month, Royal complained that the candidate had "lost his cool" and suggested that this was conduct unbecoming a future president.

Sarkozy has often been lampooned as a hothead, notably in the television programme "Les Guignols," the French version of the British Spitting Image satire.

Sarkozy, the believed-to-be front-runner in Sunday's 12-person race, is the head of the center-right Union for a Popular Movement party. Socialist Segolene Royal is his strongest opponent.

AFP has clearly shown that it has no need for separate commentary and op-ed writers.

Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.

—Tom Blumer is president of a training and development company in Mason, Ohio, and is a contributing editor to NewsBusters


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Standard French

April 16, 2007 - 08:52 ET by RJ

French presidential front-runner Nicolas Sarkozy:  ...."arrogant, divisive, even dangerous"

Sounds like standard French Gall(ic) to me...

John Kerry may run for President again.

April 16, 2007 - 09:26 ET by RJ

Since we're discussing Presidental races and the French, John Kerry has said he hasn't ruled out throwing his hat into the race again.

("I ran for President....before I didn't run for President...before I ran for President....")   

Typical John Kerry

April 16, 2007 - 12:56 ET by MPayne

He decided not to run, before he decided to run...

" Courage - a perfect sensibility of the measure of danger, and a mental willingness to endure it. "  - William T. Sherman 

France shows a harsh, intol

April 16, 2007 - 09:28 ET by Dave R

France shows a harsh, intolerant face to the thousands of illegal
immigrants it deports every year under tough new policies adopted by
Nicolas Sarkozy,

Too little, too late. Even if this guy does manage to get elected, it won't matter one little bit to the future of that unfortunate country. France is well on its way to becoming an Islamic-dominated country, and they know it.

This republic will not survive the continued neglect of its people.- Neal Boortz.

France

April 16, 2007 - 09:56 ET by iveseenitall

So right, Dave. And America is well on its way toward socialism/communism. Just elect Hillary or Obama and see what happens.

NEVER,NEVER trust a liberal

Sarkozy sounds like my kind

April 16, 2007 - 16:42 ET by John in CA

Sarkozy sounds like my kind of candidate.

In the meantime, the socialist candidate, Record, communes with the law-breaking, rioting, Muslim youths.


Give a Democrat Party free America a chance!

On Royal

April 16, 2007 - 17:08 ET by Unsane

I am so shocked!!!  AFP liking Segolene Royal?

(I am telling you, if she makes it into the second round, the U.S. media will finally show a foreign election they are willing to cover...)

"HAV3 TH3 BRIDG3S OF INSANITY B33N CROSS3D AND FOR3V3R R3TRACT3D???."  - Meshuggah, "3ntrapm3nt", from Catch Thirty Thr33 (2005)

PARIS, April 12, 2007 (AFP) -

April 16, 2007 - 17:35 ET by Darth Dutch

PARIS, April 12, 2007 (AFP) - France shows a harsh, intolerant face to the thousands of illegal immigrants it deports every year under tough new policies adopted by Nicolas Sarkozy, the man tipped to become the nation's next president.

Let's take this sentence at face value.  France decides that its immigration laws are too soft and change the law to tighten down on this.  They then deport illegal immigrants.  Why is it intolerant to enforce the law?  If they were deporting legal immigrants, then yes it would be harsh, but not if they're illegal.

Dutch

Because deporting illegal i

April 16, 2007 - 17:41 ET by John in CA

Because deporting illegal immigrants is mean. You cannot be mean to the poor, deprived, dark-skinned people. It's obviously just a racially motivated purge.


Give a Democrat Party free America a chance!