Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

INSIDE FRANCE

Inside France: Beer scandal, climate summit and naked tourism

From naked tourism to climate summits, via the 'scandal' of the presidential beer, our weekly newsletter Inside France looks at what we have been talking about in France this week.

Published: 24 June 2023 08:30 CEST
Inside France: Beer scandal, climate summit and naked tourism
Photo by GEORGES GOBET / AFP

Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.

Down-in-one

This week began with perhaps the stupidest ‘scandal’ I’ve seen in France so far – furious criticism of president Emmanuel Macron for downing a bottle of beer with the Toulouse rugby team as they celebrated their crowning as French domestic champions. 

From being accused of promoting binge drinking to labelled as an ‘example of toxic masculinity’, this brief clip created quite a storm.

Surely there are many more genuine criticisms that one can make of Macron?

Climate

On a considerably more serious note, Paris is this week hosting a finance summit, which sounds dull but could end up being extremely important in tackling the climate crisis.

It’s a joint initiative between Macron and Barbados prime minister Mia Mottley and it looks at how countries in the global south can access the funds required to make the necessary changes to reduce emission levels, while also tackling the after-effects of climate-related catastrophes such as floods, droughts and landslides, which disproportionately affect poorer countries. 

It’s likely that there won’t be any big announcements immediately, but it’s the start of Mottley’s ‘Bridgetown Initiative’ to look at tackling the global catastrophe that is climate change on a global financial level. 

Body parts

I fell down something or a research rabbit hole while preparing this week’s podcast, when the question ‘are people actually buried in the Panthéon in Paris?’ turned out to have an unexpectedly complicated – and gory – answer.

As well as talking random body parts, we’re also discussing the real problems of rural France, off-the-beaten-track tourist spots, why France is so popular with naturists and recommending some books to help understand France and the French. Listen here or on the link below.

READ ALSO Naturism: Why France is the best country to get naked

The history of us

And if you’re anywhere near Paris, I really recommend the Musée de l’histoire de l’Immigration at Porte Dorée, which reopened last weekend after a three-year refurbishment.

It’s absolutely packed with fascinating stuff on the long history of migration to France, and also includes a playlist of pop music by immigrants in France – going right from Louis Armstrong and Josephine Baker up to the present day, which I’ve been enjoying listening to on my commute this week. 

Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

INSIDE FRANCE

Inside France: Violence, QR codes and stuffed animals

From violent unrest in a French territory to the QR codes required at the Paris Olympics, via D-Day and weird taxidermy, our weekly newsletter Inside France looks at what we have been talking about in France this week.

Published: 18 May 2024 07:38 CEST
Inside France: Violence, QR codes and stuffed animals

Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.

High tension

After a relaxed week with a double holiday and most of the country taking a break, it seems that the news has come roaring back this week – first a highly dramatic jailbreak that left two prison officers dead and a fugitive at large, then the worst rioting in 30 years on the French island of Nouvelle Calédonie which left five people dead, and finally a man shot dead by police while apparently trying to set fire to a synagogue in northern France. It seems that there’s barely been time to breathe. 

These three things are, of course, not connected and in the case of Nouvelle Calédonie have followed years of political and ethnic tensions on the Pacific islands.

But it’s not surprising that people feel a bit punch-drunk at this series of events. Already right-wing parties are attempting to make capital out of this ahead of the European elections – a favourite tactic of the far-right in recent years has been trying to portray France as in the grip of an uncontrolled wave of crime and violence.

While no-one would deny that France has crime and that there are problems with violence, the statistics do not bear out this image of a ‘lawless’ country’. 

QR codes

Talking of security, the big topic in Paris this week has been whether we need QR codes to get around the city during the Olympics, after the security plan for the Games was unveiled in detail.

For many people this will bring back bad memories of Covid restrictions, attestations and health passes – although once you dig into the detail of the Games QR codes you realise that they won’t actually affect all that many people.

The areas that they cover are limited and the most onerous restrictions are only in place for the week leading up to the Opening Ceremony. You can find a complete guide to whether you need a code, and how to get one if you do, HERE.

Talking France

We look at the QR code situation on this week’s Talking France podcast, as well as France’s economic reality, the quirks of the French health system and the new ‘drive like a woman’ campaign.

Plus John Lichfield talks about his involvement in projects to commemorate D-Day in his Normandy home, and why the 1944 landings still hold such a special place in French hearts. Listen here or on the link below. 

Get stuffed

But my biggest question about France remains unanswered – why is weird taxidermy furniture so popular? If you’ve spent time at a French brocante you will likely have come across stuffed animal parts made into a variety of items from coathooks and ashtrays to – as below – chairs or stools.

Answers on a postcard, please.  

Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.

SHOW COMMENTS