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French city authorities agree to remove ‘anti-Semitic’ mural of Macron

A street art mural in a French city depicting President Emmanuel Macron as a puppet in the hands of an economist of Jewish origin has been removed, authorities said on Friday, after it was denounced as blatantly anti-Semitic.

Published: 24 June 2022 16:24 CEST
French city authorities agree to remove 'anti-Semitic' mural of Macron
The mural appeared in the southern French city of Avignon. Photo by Christophe SIMON / AFP

The controversy over the mural in the southern city of Avignon represents an embarrassment to the local authorities just two weeks before the city hosts its world-famous annual international theatre festival from July 7th.

The mural, painted by the street artist Lekto, depicts Macron as the lying puppet Pinocchio with his strings pulled by the celebrated French economist and former Elysee adviser Jacques Attali, who was born to a Jewish family in French Algeria.

The local prefecture authority said in a statement that “following the emotional reactions” authorities had agreed “to erase the fresco”.

“The operation was carried out this very morning,” it added.

The mural, painted on an electricity transformer at the north-eastern entrance to the city, had already been partially covered overnight by an anonymous individual.

Controversy over the work had been building ever since it was created on Wednesday.

The image “takes up all the tropes of anti-Semitic propaganda and fascist iconography,” French member of the European Parliament Raphael Glucksmann said on Twitter.

“To refuse to erase it in the name of ‘freedom of expression’ is a scandal,” he added.

The mural was put up by the artist of his own accord and no institution encouraged or funded it.

But according to France Bleu radio, the city of Avignon — run by Socialist mayor Cecile Helle — initially refused to cover it up to “respect freedom of expression” before changing tack as pressure grew.

“As usual the problem is the people who don’t see the problem,” tweeted prominent French comic book artist Joann Sfar.

France’s centre-left Parti Socialiste leader Olivier Faure added on Twitter: “The interpretation of this fresco leaves little open to doubt.”

“The figure of the Jewish banker manipulating his puppets is a recurring theme of anti-Semites.”

He described anti-Semitism as a recurring “plague” that cannot be tolerated.

Although not of Jewish origin himself, Macron has repeatedly been targeted by anti-Semitic insinuations and baseless conspiracy theories related to his past work for investment bankers Rothschild.

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DISCRIMINATION

Rights groups complain to UN over French police racial profiling

Rights watchdogs including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International on Thursday said they were seeking UN help to end racial profiling by the French police, they said.

Published: 11 April 2024 15:09 CEST
Rights groups complain to UN over French police racial profiling

Evidence and testimonies from victims and police show that in France “racial profiling particularly targets black and Arab young men and boys or those perceived as such, including children as young as 10,” HRW said.

“These abusive and illegal identity checks, which are widespread throughout the country and deeply rooted in police practices, constitute systemic racial discrimination.”

HRW and Amnesty International France, as well as three other French groups, lodged a complaint with the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

France’s highest administrative court, the State Council, in October last year found that racial profiling by the police was not limited to “isolated cases”.

But “the government has taken no action to address the problem,” said HRW.

“By failing to take the necessary measures to put an end to this practice, the French government is failing to meet its obligations under several international treaties,” it added.

The UN committee monitors compliance with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which France has signed.

In July last year, it had already raised concern about “excessive use of force by law enforcement” in France and called on the country to ban racial profiling.

The comments came after the fatal police shooting the previous month of a 17-year-old teenager named Nahel during a traffic stop, in an incident that revived long-standing grievances about policing in low-income and multi-ethnic neighbourhoods.

France’s rights ombudsman in 2017 found that a young person “perceived as black or Arab” was 20 times more likely to face an identity check than the rest of the population.

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