PrintChirac admits "underestimated" anti-Semitism
France's President Jacques Chirac is finally worried about France's escalating wave of anti—Semitic attacks, and has admitted to representatives of France's Jewish community that he had 'largely underestimated' anti—Semitism in France this according to the French website Guysen News.
The translation which follows of the Guysen's website is by me. Following my English translation, I provide the French original, so readers able to read it in the original can go to the source material.
President Chirac told representatives of the Jewish community he met on Wednesday that he was worried about the anti—Semitism in France, which he had 'at first largely underestimated'. He condemned 'without any reservations' this phenomenon and wished that 'French justice sentenced very severely these acts with an exemplary punishment which will get large publicity.'
Le Président Jacques Chirac a confié aux dirigeants de la communauté juive reçus à l'Elysée (Paris) qu'il était inquiet par la situation de l'antisémitisme en France, dont '' dans un premier temps il a sous—estimé l'ampleur '' et qu'il a condamné '' sans réserve '' Il a souhaité que '' la justice se prononce avec sévérité, par une peine exemplaire qui fasse l'objet d'une large publicité ''.
On the official website of the French President, in French (of course), the exact same text is mentionned except the portion about "underestimating at first" is missing. So far as we at The American Thinker are aware, nobody in the American press has picked—up on this story.
Regrettably, just as the President of France shows a sign of progress in grappling with France's anti—Semitism, a former Prime Minister has made a move in the other direction, as the French website Proche—Orient.info reports (my translation):
According to ASHARQ AL AWSAT, Michel Rocard, ex Prime Minister under President Mitterrand and one of the leaders of the French left declared while in Alexandria, Egypt that the Balfour declaration was an historical mistake and Israel was founded on racial criteria. He added that:" Israel is a racial state. Worse, Israel constitutes a threat to his neighbors".
Posted by Olivier Guitta 06 18 04
