France

Carrefour boycotts flops

Julien — Fri, 02 May 2008 17:43:41 +0200

Chinese web-users planned to boycott Carrefour from May 1st. But after having firstly added fuel to the fire, the Beijing authorities have finally decided to put a stop to the campaign, with an impressive police effort. See the report.
This report was put together with amateur material compiled by Zhang, our Observer in China. Watch the report.

Sarkozy in Tunisia: "As far as human rights go, he's worse than Chirac"

Julien — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:34:46 +0200

Poster of Ben Ali. Photo: "Eikizilla"

Nicolas Sarkozy is on a three-day trip to Tunisia. A former Tunisian judge, suspended for having criticised his president and now under constant police watch, deplores the French head of state for turning a blind eye to the corruption and authoritarianism Ben Ali's "clan". More on human rights in Tunisia.

Sarkozy in Tunisia: As far as human rights go, he’s even worse than Chirac

Julien — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:30:05 +0200

Mokhtar Yahyaoui is a former Tunisian judge. In 2001 he drafted a public letter to president Ben Ali condemning the lack of independence of Tunisian magistrates. A few days later, he was suspended and has since been living under police surveillance.

French football hooligans’ most offensive banners

Julien — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:36:26 +0200

The banner, displayed at the premier league final between Paris Saint-Germain and Lens reads

"Paedophiles, unemployed and inbred: Welcome up north"

A group of Parisian football supporters responsible for a banner that accused their opponents of being "paedophiles and inbred" has been ordered to disband by the French interior minister.

The banner that lead to the dissolution, announced last Thursday, was aimed at Paris Saint-Germain's opponents Lens, a northern city from the industrial region inhabited by "Ch'tis", the term for the residents of this poor and underdeveloped area of France, the subject of recent film called "Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'tis" (roughly translating to "Welcome to the Sticks"), which is becoming the highest-grossing French film in history. Reading "Paedophiles, unemployed and inbred: Welcome to the Sticks", the banner was displayed at the premier league final, of which Sarkozy was in attendance. As well as disbanding the "Boulogne Boys" - who are considered one of the oldest hooligan groups in France - an inquiry into finding and punishing those responsible is underway. Here, members' (who wish to remain anonymous) reactions and a pick of other offensive messages displayed across the pitch.

"I'm almost dead, but I love my body"

Julien — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:24:00 +0200

Image from the pro-ana blog Fairydust

The French parliament is currently debating a law banning all blogs and websites that encourage or defend anorexia. The white paper refers specifically to "pro-ana" blogs, where the illness is considered extremely fashionable. Young anorexics react to the proposed law and tell us about the pro-ana movement.

Pro-ana bloggers deny encouraging anorexia. But their personal pages are plastered with pictures of skinny stars like Nicole Richie and Mary-Kate, and they're more than happy to discuss the latest weight-losing techniques.

A Chinese protester campaigns in front of Carrefour in Beijing

Julien — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:09:58 +0200

Chinese web-users angered by disruptions during the Olympic torch's tour through Paris last week are organising a campaign to boycott Carrefour starting May 1st, according to Reuters. Our Observer in China has sent us images of a mini-protest in front of a Carrefour store in Beijing. The police intervened in the affair, but only by asking the protesters to move on.

UPDATE (18 APRIL 08 10am): Protests against Carrefour have sprung up all over China and the demonstrators have extended their crusade to several other French companies including Luis Vuitton, Sephora and Dior. See new pictures at the bottom of the post.

Journalists at France's prestigious daily face a dilemma

Julien — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:57:28 +0200

The facade of Le Monde's building in Paris. Photo taken from the metro by "Mademoiselle N"

The French daily newspaper Le Monde announced plans to lay off 130 staff, including some 90 journalists, in an economic reshuffle last week. The news did not go down well with the editorial staff, who today, for the first time in the newspaper's history, went on strike did not publish the newspaper. A stopped press occurred only once before, in 1976, when the staff did not publish for one day in solidarity with another people which had been sold to new ownership.

The directors of the daily paper have also envisaged the sale of several of the group's titles, including Cahiers du Cinema. They said that the scheme would save them 15 million euros over two years in order to return them to financial stability by 2009. The resulting strike on the part of the employees shows an industry, endangered by the suffocating forces of free newspapers and the internet, at the end of its tether.

Yacht hijack: should France pay the pirates?

Julien — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:32:49 +0200

Photo from the French military

A French luxury yacht hijacked by pirates on the coast of Somalia last Friday has highlighted a vast and growing problem in uncontrolled waters. Local bloggers explain that if the pirates get their ransom, attacks will only be encouraged.

The pirates took the thirty, mainly French, crew members hostage last Friday and are negotiating a ransom sum with the French government. The 88-metre Ponant has been directed to the shores of Puntland; a semi-autonomous region in north east Somalia. Meanwhile, the French military has zoned in the boat, and is close enough to launch an attack.

"Putting out the flame is really going to upset the Chinese people"

Julien — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:29:07 +0200

The Olympic flame had to be put out for half an hour during its tour around Paris because of havoc wreaked by mainly pro-Tibetan protesters. ChinaWolf, who set up a YouTube channel to "defend the Chinese reputation", explains to us why he thinks the protests were unacceptable.

Britons praise Carla Bruni-Sarkozy's French chic

Julien — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 15:43:45 +0100

The British public was wowed by Carla Sarkozy's elegance and beauty yesterday when she met the Queen. And they didn't miss out on the chance to compare the French president's wife with that of Prince Charles, Camilla Parker-Bowles, who rarely enjoys any praise. We listen to the view of a British "appearance management" consultant on each woman's choice of style.