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.

Horror

“A nation in shock” is how Emmanuel Macron put it, and that’s a good description for the horror that has gripped France after a man armed with a knife entered a children’s playground and stabbed – apparently at random – four toddlers and two adults. 

READ ALSO Annecy knife attack: What we know so far

The pretty Alpine town of Annecy – best known for its beautiful lake and a popular tourist spot in summer and winter alike – is now trying to come to terms with this appalling tragedy while also fending off the unwelcome attentions of the far-right.

The town’s Green mayor, François Astorg, has pleaded for calm and for the town to be allowed to grieve. Local authorities put in place a ban on demonstrations on the evening of the attack, after calls for far-right activists to gather in Annecy.

Politics

There is of course still a lot that we don’t know about the attacker and his motivations, but the fact that he described himself to police as a “Christian Syrian asylum seeker” was enough for some.

Although he had applied for asylum in France he should more correctly be described as a refugee, since he had been granted asylum in Sweden, where he was living until November 2022. His application in France was rejected because he already had refugee status in Sweden.

Eric Ciotti, the new leader of Les Républicains, immediately declared the attack “a terrorist act” and called for new laws on immigration.

Compared to him, far-right leader Marine Le Pen was relatively restrained in the first hours after the attack, restricting herself to expressions of shock, horror and sympathy for the families – although her deputy Jordan Bardella was a lot less restrained.

Les Républicains – the party of De Gaulle, Chirac and Sarkozy and the dominant force in French post-war politics until 2017 – is traditionally described as a ‘centre right’ party. But this illusion can no longer be maintained under the leadership of Ciotti who seems determined to out-radicalise the far-right. 

Podcast

Our Talking France podcast was made before the attack happened, which is why we don’t talk about it, but there are lots of other topics to consider – such as who ‘won’ the pension strikes and whether this means a strike-free summer, whether French mayors can hike your water bills and how to make the most of summer in France.

Listen here or on the link below.

Marmitegate

And on a lighter note, I really enjoyed the reactions to this tweet – it’s always funny to see how other nationalities view your country’s local specialities and treasured traditions.

As a Brit, I must register my outrage at our finest national products (yes, both of them – Marmite and HP Sauce) being labelled 'American' 🤬 pic.twitter.com/qqxzt8x32q

— Emma Pearson (@LocalFR_Emma) June 2, 2023

I’m a lover of Marmite (which I’m informed was invented by a German, although lots of countries have a variation on the salty yeast spread) but even within the UK it’s not uncontroversial. 

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.