PARIS—A “saucisson et pinard” (wine and sausages) party planned in the multi-ethnic district of Goutte-d’Or in Paris was canceled by Paris police on June 15.
Far-left political representatives and non-government organizations have claimed that the event, centered around pork sausages and alcohol, was meant to exclude all Jews and Muslim residents of the district and called it a “heinous provocation.”
The police department stated in a press release, “Due to the means of organization, place, day, and time chosen, as well as planned opposition protests, the event would create serious threats to public order.”
Earlier the same day, Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe had expressed in a press release concerns about the planned giant wine and sausage party. “Racism and intolerance are not welcomed in Paris,” he said.
The event was to take place a few hours before Friday’s Muslim prayers in Goutte-d’Or and just ahead of the start of a England-Algeria World Cup soccer match.
More than 3,500 Facebook members joined a group promoting the event. The main organizer, Sylvie François, explained to French media that she intended to raise awareness of the “Islamization” of the district, where several mosques have been built.
“I was born in La Goutte d’Or, and the district is visibly getting Muslim,” François said on Europe 1 Radio.
Several far-right organizations had come to support the event that François said would have been “joyous, friendly, and against religious ransack of some streets that are blocked to car traffic every Friday during [Muslim] prayers.”
Le Point newspaper revealed that in response, an alternative Facebook group was created to call for a “halal and mint tea party.”
The incident is reminiscent of 2006, when Paris’s far-right groups prepared “pork soups” for the poor, excluding Muslims and Jews in need. The French State Council banned the discriminatory event at the beginning of 2007.
Several recent incidents illustrate the rising tension between native French and Muslim immigrants in a context of Islamic radicalization and what is seen as a growing lack of respect for French institutions and core values.
During the night of June 15, for instance, the city flag in the suburban city of Villeneuve-Saint-Georges was burnt and replaced by an Algerian flag. Algeria had just lost its first match in World Cup soccer.
Far-left political representatives and non-government organizations have claimed that the event, centered around pork sausages and alcohol, was meant to exclude all Jews and Muslim residents of the district and called it a “heinous provocation.”
The police department stated in a press release, “Due to the means of organization, place, day, and time chosen, as well as planned opposition protests, the event would create serious threats to public order.”
Earlier the same day, Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe had expressed in a press release concerns about the planned giant wine and sausage party. “Racism and intolerance are not welcomed in Paris,” he said.
The event was to take place a few hours before Friday’s Muslim prayers in Goutte-d’Or and just ahead of the start of a England-Algeria World Cup soccer match.
More than 3,500 Facebook members joined a group promoting the event. The main organizer, Sylvie François, explained to French media that she intended to raise awareness of the “Islamization” of the district, where several mosques have been built.
“I was born in La Goutte d’Or, and the district is visibly getting Muslim,” François said on Europe 1 Radio.
Several far-right organizations had come to support the event that François said would have been “joyous, friendly, and against religious ransack of some streets that are blocked to car traffic every Friday during [Muslim] prayers.”
Le Point newspaper revealed that in response, an alternative Facebook group was created to call for a “halal and mint tea party.”
The incident is reminiscent of 2006, when Paris’s far-right groups prepared “pork soups” for the poor, excluding Muslims and Jews in need. The French State Council banned the discriminatory event at the beginning of 2007.
Several recent incidents illustrate the rising tension between native French and Muslim immigrants in a context of Islamic radicalization and what is seen as a growing lack of respect for French institutions and core values.
During the night of June 15, for instance, the city flag in the suburban city of Villeneuve-Saint-Georges was burnt and replaced by an Algerian flag. Algeria had just lost its first match in World Cup soccer.
