Extreme Right Condemns France 2 Documentary on Racism as 'Anti-White'
Extreme right politicians in France denounce a France 2 documentary on racism, labeling it as anti-white propaganda.
Key Points
- • France 2's documentary aired on June 17, addressing racism and racial stereotypes.
- • Extreme right politicians from Rassemblement National criticized the program, calling it 'anti-white propaganda'.
- • They demanded privatization of public broadcasting services to combat perceived bias.
- • The program featured Maboula Soumahoro, who faced significant backlash for her views on 'white privilege'.
- • A CNCDH report released around the same time highlighted racial disparities in healthcare.
On June 17, France 2 aired a provocative documentary addressing racism and racial stereotypes, which has ignited a fierce backlash from extreme right politicians in France, primarily from the Rassemblement National (RN). The program, hosted by Lucien Jean-Baptiste and Marie Drucker, included real-life experiments designed to showcase societal biases, including a segment that revealed varying reactions to a staged bike theft depending on the perceived ethnicity of the thief.
Bruno Clavet, a deputy from the RN, condemned the show as 'stigmatizing and openly anti-white'. Similarly, euro-deputy Pierre-Romain Thionnet criticized it as 'propaganda' that pressures the French population to alter their demographic makeup. Supporters of this backlash have expressed dissatisfaction with France's public broadcasting service, calling for its privatization. They claim that the service disseminates a biased agenda funded by taxpayer dollars. 'If you think there is too much immigration, the public service will gladly re-educate you,' stated RN figure Julien Odoul, expressing his contempt for the perceived narrative pushed by mainstream media.
The documentary has also drawn ire for including Maboula Soumahoro, a researcher known for her outspoken views on 'white privilege'. Mathilde Androuët, an RN euro-deputy, took to criticizing France TV for featuring Soumahoro, accusing her of promoting 'anti-white racism'. This has not been the first time Soumahoro faced backlash; she had previously experienced harassment and threats after a scheduled conference was canceled due to pressure from RN affiliates.
Interestingly, the airing of the documentary coincided with the publication of a CNCDH report that detailed the ongoing detrimental effects of racism on mental health and systemic biases within the healthcare system in France. For instance, the report highlighted that white men were 50% more likely to be classified as urgent medical cases compared to Black women, a finding which has received little attention from the RN amid the uproar surrounding the program.
As the political debate continues, the tension surrounding issues of race and identity in France remains a deeply polarizing topic, indicating a stark divide between extreme right rhetoric and prevailing societal issues regarding racism and discrimination.