France: the "single-sex" meetings of the UNEF trigger an outcry in the political class
Protesters under a UNEF banner in Paris on March 16, 2021 (illustrative image).
AFP - BERTRAND GUAY
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
The controversy around the UNEF is not weakening in France.
The organization of “single-sex” meetings by the student union sparked an outcry from a large part of the political class.
The government is preparing a legal response against UNEF.
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The president of the Unef student Mélanie Luce spoke on Wednesday of organizing “single-sex” meetings to “
allow people affected by racism to be able to express what they are undergoing
”.
An explanation that sparked a lively controversy in a large part of the French political class.
On France Inter, the leader of rebellious France, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, is the only politician to openly support the UNEF.
According to him, behind this controversy is mainly the hand of the extreme right.
“
The far right has an agenda and this agenda pushes it to the advantage as much as it can.
These are not forbidden to whites, they are support groups of people who are victims of discrimination,
”he said.
The far right is campaigning for the dissolution of the # UNEF.
The far right has an agenda and it advances its pawns.
We dissolve UNEF and then dissolve who or what?
#PolQuestions
- Jean-Luc Mélenchon (@JLMelenchon) March 21, 2021
The right calls for sanctions
The “single-sex” meetings of the UNEF are however also criticized by part of the left.
Anne Hidalgo, the socialist mayor of Paris,
in a semi-official campaign for the presidential election, said she was worried at the microphone of Europe 1 and said that it was "
very dangerous
" and that "
secularism
(was)
a treasure
".
Single-sex meetings at UNEF: "It's very dangerous", judge Anne Hidalgo https://t.co/p2M4BBQdQR
- Europe 1 🎧🌍📻 (@ Europe1) March 21, 2021
The right, it expects a strong reaction from the government.
Valérie Pécresse;
President Les Républicains de la Région Ile-de-France, guest of Radio J, "
a real shipwreck
" of the UNEF, she called "to
prosecute this union for discrimination
".
"
Not a euro of public subsidy to the enemies of the Republic
", she added.
Others on the right and on the extreme right go further and demand the dissolution of UNEF.
Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer is considering bringing the case to justice.
"
It is deeply scandalous
", denounced Jean-Michel Blanquer on BFM TV-RMC.
“
We are in the French Republic, the French Republic is based on principles that we consider to be intangible
(...).
You can't distinguish people based on the color of their skin,
”he added.
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