Apparently that liberté, égalité, fraternité thing isn't working out too well in France. Unassimilated immigrants. Illegal immigrants. This is thought to cause problems. Crime. Riots. Differences. Mostly blamed on/committed by unassimilated, illegal immigrants. As a result French President Nicholas Sarkozy is threatening to rip France's national polity into shreds by specifically singling out and punishing some (deemed) non French segments of the population with more severe punishment than those (deemed) French who commit the same crime.

If a French individual, whose ancestors were the Gauls, harms a policeman s/he will be appropriately punished. But if a non Gallic individual, say one whose ancestors lived under French colonialism or sneaks in from another country and wanders, does the same an additional punishment will be added--loss of French nationality. As Reuters reports

President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Friday he wanted to strip French nationality from anyone of foreign origin who threatened the life of a police officer, in a crackdown after riots shook two French towns this month.Speaking in Grenoble, where street violence erupted in mid-July after a local man died fleeing police after allegedly holding up a casino, Sarkozy said he also wanted to increase prison sentences for violent crimes.

"French nationality should be stripped from anybody who has threatened the life of a police officer or anybody involved in public policing," Sarkozy said.

Deportation for those who commit crimes and don't have proper proof of citizenship, while tearing down their residences, is also part of the crackdown according to an article in EuroNews . Sarkozy

has ordered the dismantling of some 300 illegal camps of travellers and Roma across France, with the immediate deportation of anyone found without papers. The announcement came after a special ministerial meeting in Paris to discuss the Roma "problem".

"We will proceed with the almost immediate deportation of the Romas who have disturbed public order or have committed fraud, to Bulgaria or Romania," said Interior Minister Bruce Hortefeux.

And what about the French of non foreign origin "who have disturbed public order or have committed fraud"? Sarkozy hasn't said.

The Roma are also known as gypsies. They're a "problem." Reminiscent of France's Jewish "problem." And its North African "problem;" citizens from France's imperialist past who refuse to assimilate into France.

During World War ll the French obediently turned over its Jews and Gypsies to the German occupiers, usually co-operating with them to round them up. Most of the Jews and Gypsies were ultimately slaughtered.

Profiling? Racism? The French?