Nuclear: the annoying signature of Anne Hidalgo

Nicolas Beytout 8:04 am, November 25, 2021

Your newspaper l'Opinion reveals very embarrassing information for Anne Hidalgo: the Mayor of Paris has signed a text in favor of the ban on nuclear deterrence.

That was about two and a half years ago, but the town hall never advertised it. And for good reason. This text is an appeal launched by an international association, ICAN (acronym for International Action for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons). This ICAN is not an NGO around the corner, no, it is the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Just that. Her voice is therefore heavy, and when she takes an initiative (such as launching an appeal), she is not treated as one would sign on a corner of the table the first petition imagined by a small group of human rights. humanists. But what does this famous appeal say: "We support the treaty on the prohibition of atomic weapons and call on our government to adhere to it". This treaty banning atomic weapons is well known in the military and diplomatic world.It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly 4 years ago and is supposed to have entered into force this year. In fact, none of the 9 nuclear powers in the world has obviously signed it. No more France than the others. Here is the problem: Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris and official candidate of the Socialist Party for the presidential election, supports a request made to France to give up nuclear deterrence.supports a request made to France to renounce nuclear deterrence.supports a request made to France to renounce nuclear deterrence.

And what do we say to the City of Paris?

Not much, it is rather embarrassment. It must be said that the matter is serious. The PS and the nuclear power, it is a file which goes back to the end of the Seventies, when François Mitterrand understands that to reach the power, he must convert his party on a certain number of subjects, of which the nuclear bomb. A man played a key role in this development, Charles Hernu, an old traveling companion of the future president, who will be his Prime Minister of Defense. And since then, the PS has never questioned the existence in France of nuclear weapons. He has never disputed the decisive role of deterrence in our defense policy. François Hollande, for example, has always affirmed his attachment to this component of our force: "I will be the guarantor of France's nuclear deterrent capacity", he said. And he added,as President of the Republic: "I fully assume it". As for Anne Hidalgo's predecessor as mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë, he wanted the City of Paris to be the "godmother" of Charles de Gaulle, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which is naturally an essential link in the projection of our nuclear weapon all over the world. Yes, it gets complicated ...

Maybe Anne Hidalgo can plead that as a candidate for the Elysee, her position will evolve? Moreover, she has not yet spoken on defense issues.

She will certainly find a way to explain that, in an ideal world, peace, friendship between peoples, this-that ... But what this anti-nuclear episode by Anne Hidalgo demonstrates is that, in addition from the intrinsic weakness of the socialists on the political level, the results of the mayor of Paris complicate the electoral campaign.

The indebtedness of the city, the insecurity, the non-respect of the social laws in particular on the 35 hours with the City of Paris, and now this pitiful episode of call to give up the nuclear weapon.

All of these topics impact directly on what she can say and promise during her campaign.

It makes you wonder if, by force, it will not be necessary to invent a hashtag "Destroy the socialist candidacy for the Elysee".