French leader rejects racism but colonial statues to remain

Paris, Jun 14 (AP) French President Emmanuel Macron vowed Sunday to stand firm against racism but also praised police and insisted that France wouldn't take down statues of controversial, colonial-era figures.

It was first time Macron has spoken on issues since George Floyd's death in US unleashed protests around world, including several in France, where demonstrators have expressed anger at racial injustice and police brutality, particularly toward mirities from France's former colonies in Africa.

Unusually for a French leader, Macron ackwledged that someone's “address, name, colour of skin” can reduce ir chances at succeeding in French society, and called for a fight to ensure that everyone can “find ir place” regardless of ethnic origin or religion.

He promised to be “uncompromising in face of racism, anti-Semitism and discrimination.” However, he insisted that France will t take down statues of controversial, colonial-era figures as has happened in some or countries in recent weeks.

Amid calls for taking down statues tied to France's slave trade or colonial wrongs, Macron said “ republic will t erase any trace, or any name, from its history ... it will t take down any statue.”

“We should look at all of our history toger” including relations with Africa, with a goal of “truth” instead of “denying who we are,” Macron said.

He didn't address accusations of police violence but said forces of order deserve “ nation's recognition.” Macron also anunced that France will reopen nearly everything starting Monday after three months of virus confinement measures.

president promised an internal audit into how his administration handled virus — tably compared to or countries like Germany. That's in addition to a parliamentary inquiry already underway.

Despite having one of world's best health care systems, France was dangerously short of all kinds of masks and testing capacity as coronavirus patients overwhelmed intensive care wards in March. More than 80 lawsuits have been filed accusing his government of manslaughter, neglect or orwise mishandling virus crisis.

Macron sent in army to help and ordered strict lockdown measures that slowed spread. But nearly 30,000 people have died, about half of m in nursing homes, and more than 150,000 have been infected. More than 200 new virus clusters have emerged since France started reopening May 11, according to national health ncy.

Meanwhile, his government is facing growing pressure to confront racism and police violence.

At least 15,000 people demonstrated in Paris on Saturday, latest in a string of French protests galvanized by George Floyd's death in U.S. and Black Lives Matter movement, but increasingly focused on France's own tensions between police and mirities.

In response, government banned police chokeholds and vowed to stamp out racism among police — but that has w angered police unions, who say y're being unfairly painted as white supremacists and std protests of ir own.

Calls are also mounting to reassess France's colonial legacy, causing division within Macron's own camp.

Over past two days, culture minister deunced decision to cancel a Paris showing of “Gone With Wind” — a film long criticized as romanticizing slavery — as contrary to freedom of expression. And he firmly condemned activists who tried to take a piece of African art from a Paris museum dedicated to artwork from former colonies.

But government minister Sibeth Ndiaye — a close Macron ally and most prominent black figure in current French politics — wrote an unusually personal essay Saturday in Le Monde calling for France to rethink its colourblind doctrine, which aims at encouraging equality by igring race altoger.

“We must t hesitate to name things, to say that a skin colour is t neutral,” she wrote. She called on French to “confront our memories” about ir history and find a “shared narrative” with former colonies.

Macron's office firmly denied a report last week that he was considering resigning and calling a snap election, but rumour reflected gravity of French mood.

A new forecast last week from Organization for Ecomic Cooperation and Development showed France's ecomy will suffer more than most from coming recession — and isn't expected to improve much by next presidential election in 2022.

ecomy is expected to shrink at least 11% percent this year, pushing many out of work and torpedoing Macron's goals of bringing down unemployment, rehauling retirement system and making France more globally competitive. (AP) RS RS