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JOHN LICHFIELD

PODCAST: Who is to blame for the turmoil in France and when will calm return? (Bonus episode)

French politics expert John Lichfield joins us for a bonus episode of Talking France to give his views on who's to blame for the current turmoil in France, if the protests really are a new "May 1968" and how and when calm might return to the streets?

Published: 1 April 2023 10:11 CEST

Talking France

Talking France. A podcast by The Local. Image: The Local

With France mired in political crisis, strikes against pension reform continuing and protests turning violent The Local brings you a special bonus episode of Talking France featuring more valuable analysis from French politics John Lichfield.

If this is your first time listening to Talking France you should check out our regular weekly podcast which looks at a wide range of news, talking points and cultural questions from France. You can listen to all our recent episodes HERE.

But for this bonus episode we are sticking to one subject focussing on the political crisis and protests against pension reform that have gripped the country in recent weeks.

Why has France become so angry, why have protests turned violent, are protesters right to talk about a repeat of May 1968 or does France over-romanticise protests and political violence – including the French Revolution itself?

These are just some of the questions I put to John, our veteran French politics expert, for this bonus episode.

You can listen on Apple, Spotify or Google podcasts by downloading the podcast HERE. Or simply press play below.

Remember you can find all episodes of Talking France HERE – and if you like what you hear please leave us a review or just tell a friend.

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France's Uyghurs say Xi visit a 'slap' from Macron

Xi is due to make a state visit to France on Monday and Tuesday.

Dilnur Reyhan, the founder of the European Uyghur Institute and a French national, said she and others were “angry” the Chinese leader was visiting.

“For the Uyghur people — and in particular for French Uyghurs — it’s a slap from our president, Emmanuel Macron,” she said, describing the Chinese leader as “the executioner of the Uyghur people”.

Beijing stands accused of incarcerating more than one million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in a network of detention facilities across the Xinjiang region.

Campaigners and Uyghurs overseas have said an array of abuses take place inside the facilities, including torture, forced labour, forced sterilisation and political indoctrination.

A UN report last year detailed “credible” evidence of torture, forced medical treatment and sexual or gender-based violence — as well as forced labour — in the region.

But it stopped short of labelling Beijing’s actions a “genocide”, as the United States and some other Western lawmakers have done.

Beijing consistently denies abuses and claims the allegations are part of a deliberate smear campaign to contain its development.

It says it is running vocational training centres in Xinjiang which have helped to combat extremism and enhance development.

Standing beside Reyhan at a press conference in Paris, Gulbahar Haitiwaji, who presented herself as having spent three years in a detention camp, said she was “disappointed”.

“I am asking the president to bring up the issue of the camps with China and to firmly demand they be shut down,” she said.

Human Rights Watch on Friday urged Macron during the visit to “lay out consequences for the Chinese government’s crimes against humanity and deepening repression”.

“Respect for human rights has severely deteriorated under Xi Jinping’s rule,” it said.

“His government has committed crimes against humanity… against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang, adopted draconian legislation that has erased Hong Kong’s freedoms, and intensified repression of government critics across the country.”

“President Macron should make it clear to Xi Jinping that Beijing’s crimes against humanity come with consequences for China’s relations with France,” said Maya Wang, acting China director at Human Rights Watch

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