Former Minister’s Comments Incite Discussion on Race in France
Until a few weeks ago, Nadine Morano was relatively unknown to those unfamiliar with French politics. Despite having served as a member of the National Assembly from 2002 to 2008 and as Minister for Learning, Apprenticeship, and Professional Formation during the last two years of Nicolas Sarkozy’s presidency, Morano only became a household name in the past two weeks.
Morano’s newfound fame can be traced back to Saturday, September 26 when she was a guest on “On n’est pas couché,” a Saturday night news talk show that airs on France 2. On the show, Morano, who declared her candidacy for the French presidency on September 4, said that France is a country whose race is white. She went on to describe France as Judeo-Christian and voiced her opposition to France’s growing Muslim population. To that end, Morano supports immigration quotas and has suggested that France screen immigrants based on their skills and country of origin.
Despite being known for her bluntness, Morano’s recent comments on race and immigration--two hot-button topics not only in France, but throughout world--have further alienated her from her fellow politicians. Indeed, even members of Morano’s own party, the Republicans, are urging her to recant her statement or risk being pulled from their ballot in the upcoming elections.
Even Marine Le Pen, an opponent of immigration who heads the National Front (FN), France’s right-wing political party that garnered 22 percent of votes in local elections held this past spring, has spoken out against Morano. In an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde, Le Pen voiced her distaste of Morano’s methods, saying that the issues she addressed should be handled with extreme prudence. Florian Philippot, Vice President of the National Front, supports Le Pen’s stance on Morano and stated in an interview with Le Parisien that his party would "absolutely not" welcome Morano if the Republicans were to ostracize her. While France’s many political parties rarely share the same opinions, especially regarding the growing immigration crisis, they all seem to agree that it requires an approach more nuanced than Nadine Morano’s.
Adding to the drama surrounding the elections, rumors continue to fly about whether or not Sarkozy will be competing with Morano, his former minister, for the presidency. While Sarkozy himself has yet to announce his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election, he has marked his return to French politics by running for the presidency of the Republicans. Since it is likely that Sarkozy will run for a second shot at the presidency, some suggest Morano’s presidential bid is simply intended to boost her back into Sarkozy’s inner circle, where she will be poised to benefit even if she loses the presidential election.