French protests target president's anti-crime proposals

Sarkozy

Paris, France (CNN) -- Crowds swarmed central Paris square and other French cities Saturday to protest President Nicolas Sarkozy's anti-crime proposals.
In Paris, more than 50 human rights groups led protesters through the one-and-a-half-mile stretch between the Place de La Republique to the historic Place de la Bastille, where demonstrators hung a stained French flag at its central monument. Demonstrators also made historical references to France's contentious role in World War II, holding up signs such as "Sarkozy, son of Petain," referring to Marshal Philippe Petain, who led the pro-Nazi Vichy regime.
The rallies criticized President Nicolas Sarkozy's recent anti-crime proposals, which protest organizers say are "strategies of stigma and discrimination."
After anti-police attacks, the country's parliament is considering laws to take away French citizenship from naturalized immigrants guilty of crimes like attacks on police, polygamy or female circumcision.
But some believe Sarkozy's approach of blaming immigrants for security problems flies in the face of France's democratic fundamentals -- liberty, equality and fraternity.
"He is not fighting crime... He is deliberately putting into question the basic principles of republican equality, and what is already an extremely serious social and economic crisis now threatens the cohesion of all society," a group of 50 organizations supporting the protests said in a statement posted on the Education Without Borders Network's website Saturday


Other organizations involved in the protests include immigrant and union groups.
When he announced the proposals in July, Sarkozy said French citizenship was a privilege


"One must earn French nationality and be worthy of it," he said. "Anyone who fires on an agent enforcing order no longer deserves to be French."
Immigration policy has long been a top issue for the conservative Sarkozy. As interior minister, he advocated the deportation of foreign nationals caught in violent riots across France in 2005.
But the recent crackdowns have drawn criticism even within Sarkozy's government. Local media reported that Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said he was shocked by the president's anti-crime proposals.
Last month chartered planes carrying hundreds of Romanian nationals left France as part of a government program to expel Roma without valid identity papers.
The passengers aboard both planes were repatriated voluntarily, accepting financial compensation of 300 euros ($381) per adult and 100 euros ($127) per child, Frances immigration ministry said.
Almost 8,300 Romanian and Bulgarian nationals have now been expelled from France since the beginning of the year. Close to 10,000 were expelled in 2009.
French officials have said the deportations are part of a broader crackdown on illegal immigration .
In his July speech, Sarkozy said France needs better immigration regulations.
"We are suffering from the consequences of 50 years of inadequately controlled immigration that led to a failure of integration," he said. "We are so proud of our system of integration, but perhaps we should wake up to see what it has produced. It has worked. It works no longer."