Leading French politicians, apparently seeking to rebuild bridges with Washington, warned in the first week of April against mounting anti-Americanism in France and stressed that the United States remained one of the country’s most valued allies.
The government spokesperson, Jean-François Cope, said France hoped the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein would fall, adding that the country’s high-profile anti-war stance was motivated neither by pacifism nor anti-Americanism.
”Naturally, we hope for the end of Saddam Hussein’s regime,” Cope said. ”There is no complaisance — ever — with regards to the Iraqi regime.”
His comments echoed those of the Prime Minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, who said on Tuesday that France’s opposition to the war ”does not mean we want dictatorship to defeat democracy. The Americans are not enemies.” He added: ”We must be vigilant against all forms of anti-Americanism.”
The mollifying new tone reflects official concern that France’s robust anti-war stance could be construed as anti-Americanism abroad and at home, leading to even greater tension after the war is over — and possibly sparking violence in France’s depressed and Muslim-dominated inner-city housing estates.
A survey published in the first week of April in Le Monde showed that while 78% of the French opposed the war on Iraq, 53% of them still hoped the US and Britain would defeat Saddam. But fully 33% did not want an allied victory and 25% said they were on Iraq’s side.
In a particularly worrying incident, vandals spray-painted insults and anti-war slogans on monuments and walls at the British World War I cemetery in Etaples, northern France, last month. The graffiti included: ”Dig up your rubbish, it’s contaminating our soil” and ”Saddam will win, and he will make you bleed”. The local MP, Jack Lang, said he was disgusted.
Concern has been heightened by the number of Iraqi flags and posters of Saddam being brandished at demonstrations across France.
France, which led international opposition to the Bush administration’s march to war, faces a tricky diplomatic task in trying to repair badly damaged relations while not appearing to backtrack on its anti-war stance.
Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie laid out the new approach earlier this week, saying that ”our differences are on the way to being mended”.
Domestically, however, Interior Ministry advisers have warned of possible anti-American flare-ups in the troubled suburbs of France’s big cities.
”Television images of dead and wounded Iraqi civilians are increasing the tensions,” an adviser said. ”It will only need a small spark for this anti-Americanism in the suburbs to explode into possibly violent attacks against classic US targets like McDonald’s.” — Â