[spectre] Saturday night fever
Sally Jane NORMAN
norman@wanadoo.fr
Sat, 6 Oct 2001 22:23:41 +0200
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France is in a state of frenzy. Football. The first match opposing France
and Algeria since the signing of the Evian agreement granting Algerian
independence, in 1962, after four years of a horrific « civil » war in this
North African then-colony. Just tuned in to the match : all French players
were booed as they entered the field except for Zinedine Zidane, Algerian
born and star of the French World Cup winning team, recently transferred to
Madrid’s Real. The Marseillaise was also whistled down. The Algerian team
includes at least four French nationals of Algerian descent, opportunely
integrated into the pack. Right now there’s a very different atmosphere to
post World Cup euphoria, then heralded as proof of France’s multiracial
synergy with the slogan « black, blanc, beur » (designating black, white,
Arab players on the team).
There’s been immense concern about security for tonight’s match, which has
predictably drawn a crowd of predominantly Algerian supporters. The concern
is triggered as much by current terrorist preoccupations, as by the fact
that Bouteflika, Algerian President, has managed to aggravate long-standing
resentment with a number of recent moves, including last week’s suggestion
that use of the Berber language be officialised by referendum : this item is
just one of many very hot issues Berber Algerians have been battling for
over a long period, and most of them consider as an affront the fact that
the language question has been thus singled out (their demonstrations are
systematically forbidden and violently repressed when staged illegally, and
the Berber capital, in Tizi Ouzou, is in a state of semi-permanent siege,
having launched a campaign of civil disobedience leaving local Algerian
police holed up their barracks, unable to circulate in public for fear of
being lynched). Zidane’s family origins are in Kabylie, in Berber territory,
and tonight’s match via TF1 is being directly broadcast throughout Algeria.
Security priorities at the several hundred entrances to the Stade de France
target a weird twosome of undesirable objects, namely weapons and banners.
Banners, because Berber activists (and others) would get brilliant coverage
for their grievances in Frances biggest stadium, offering a Saturday night
window to the world. Weapons for obvious reasons. Football stadiums in
Algeria have become practically the only arenas for airing anger and vent up
energy over the past decades. They’re pressure cookers at best of times. We’
ll see how Saturday night fever works out this time. The Stade de France is
Paris’s north east suburbs, the « red belt » with its large working class
and unemployed and immigrant populations, an interesting and recent switch
from the old aptly named « Parc des Princes » located south west in the
richer and whiter outskirts of town, which house the Roland Garros tennis
open - kind of appropriate. The east-west divide that characterises so many
European cities.
It’s also the twentieth anniversary of the abolition of the death penalty.
The Docteur Guillotin, born in Saintes, a few kilometers away, who tried to
prevent use of his name for the deadly machine he invented as professor of
anatomy. It worked cleanly and efficiently for almost two centuries. Tonight
’s tv watchers have the choice of a wild stadium and gruesome scenes
relating the history of capital punishment.
Other news : the Toulouse chemical factory explosion, with its final death
toll of over thirty, and large numbers of heavily injured, has finally (for
now) been classified as an accident, after a spate of speculation concerning
one of the factory’s employees killed close to the origin of the explosion,
rumoured to be close to fundamentalist groups. Attempts in France to
coordinate representation of Islam, as our second biggest religious group,
are proving difficult : the highly respected grand mufti of Marseille,
progressist by reputation, wishes to exclude ultraorthodox representation
within the proposed national council. Ironically, it’s the French minister
of Internal Affairs who’s stuck with denouncing any form of exclusion on the
Council. Good old democracy. Make sure representation is so wide it embraces
all imaginable tendencies, thereby ruling out consensus and conciliation
within an elected body we call representative. Le moindre mal, as we say.
The lesser evil. Bof.
The football commentary got interrupted by news of a bomb which exploded in
a market in Saudi Arabia. Stock-taking of French smallpox vaccine doses has
been made public. Still awaiting confirmation as to whether the Russia-bound
Israeli passengers were killed before they plunged into the hydrosulfuric
depths of an unfriendly ocean. Damn, who’s winning ? Whoops, France is ahead
(3-1), this is going to be a lively night in Paris...
French newsletter signing off
A la prochaine
sjn
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<P class=3DMsoNormal><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>France is in a state of =
frenzy.=20
Football. The first match opposing France and Algeria since the signing =
of the=20
Evian agreement granting Algerian independence, in 1962, after four =
years of a=20
horrific =AB civil =BB war in this North African then-colony. =
Just tuned=20
in to the match : all French players were booed as they entered the =
field=20
except for Zinedine Zidane, Algerian born and star of the French World =
Cup=20
winning team, recently transferred to Madrid’s Real. The =
Marseillaise was also=20
whistled down. The Algerian team includes at least four French nationals =
of=20
Algerian descent, opportunely integrated into the pack. Right now =
there’s a very=20
different atmosphere to post World Cup euphoria, then heralded as proof =
of=20
France’s multiracial synergy with the slogan =AB black, =
blanc, beur =BB=20
(designating black, white, Arab players on the team).</FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>There’s been =
immense concern about=20
security for tonight’s match, which has predictably drawn a crowd =
of=20
predominantly Algerian supporters. The concern is triggered as much by =
current=20
terrorist preoccupations, as by the fact that Bouteflika, Algerian =
President,=20
has managed to aggravate long-standing resentment with a number of =
recent moves,=20
including last week’s suggestion that use of the Berber language =
be officialised=20
by referendum : this item is just one of many very hot issues =
Berber=20
Algerians have been battling for over a long period, and most of them =
consider=20
as an affront the fact that the language question has been thus singled =
out=20
(their demonstrations are systematically forbidden and violently =
repressed when=20
staged illegally, and the Berber capital, in Tizi Ouzou, is in a state =
of=20
semi-permanent siege, having launched a campaign of civil disobedience =
leaving=20
local Algerian police holed up their barracks, unable to circulate in =
public for=20
fear of being lynched). Zidane’s family origins are in Kabylie, in =
Berber=20
territory, and tonight’s match via TF1 is being directly broadcast =
throughout=20
Algeria. Security priorities at the several hundred entrances to the =
Stade de=20
France target a weird twosome of undesirable objects, namely weapons and =
banners. Banners, because Berber activists (and others) would get =
brilliant=20
coverage for their grievances in Frances biggest stadium, offering a =
Saturday=20
night window to the world. Weapons for obvious reasons. Football =
stadiums in=20
Algeria have become practically the only arenas for airing anger and =
vent up=20
energy over the past decades. They’re pressure cookers at best of =
times. We’ll=20
see how Saturday night fever works out this time. The Stade de France is =
Paris’s=20
north east suburbs, the =AB red belt =BB with its large =
working class and=20
unemployed and immigrant populations, an interesting and recent switch =
from the=20
old aptly named =AB Parc des Princes =BB located south west in =
the richer=20
and whiter outskirts of town, which house the Roland Garros tennis open =
- kind=20
of appropriate. The east-west divide that characterises so many European =
cities.=20
</FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>It’s also the =
twentieth anniversary=20
of the abolition of the death penalty. The Docteur Guillotin, born in =
Saintes, a=20
few kilometers away, who tried to prevent use of his name for the deadly =
machine=20
he invented as professor of anatomy. It worked cleanly and efficiently =
for=20
almost two centuries. Tonight’s tv watchers have the choice of a =
wild stadium=20
and gruesome scenes relating the history of capital =
punishment.</FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Other news : the =
Toulouse=20
chemical factory explosion, with its final death toll of over thirty, =
and large=20
numbers of heavily injured, has finally (for now) been classified as an=20
accident, after a spate of speculation concerning one of the =
factory’s employees=20
killed close to the origin of the explosion, rumoured to be close to=20
fundamentalist groups. Attempts in France to coordinate representation =
of Islam,=20
as our second biggest religious group, are proving difficult : the =
highly=20
respected grand mufti of Marseille, progressist by reputation, wishes to =
exclude=20
ultraorthodox representation within the proposed national council. =
Ironically,=20
it’s the French minister of Internal Affairs who’s stuck =
with denouncing any=20
form of exclusion on the Council. Good old democracy. Make sure =
representation=20
is so wide it embraces all imaginable tendencies, thereby ruling out =
consensus=20
and conciliation within an elected body we call representative. Le =
moindre mal,=20
as we say. The lesser evil. Bof.</FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal><FONT face=3DArial><FONT size=3D2>The football =
commentary got=20
interrupted by news of a bomb which exploded in a market in Saudi =
Arabia.=20
Stock-taking of French smallpox vaccine doses has been made public. =
Still=20
awaiting confirmation as to whether the Russia-bound Israeli passengers =
were=20
killed before they plunged into the hydrosulfuric depths of an =
unfriendly ocean.=20
Damn, who’s winning ?<SPAN class=3D302002120-06102001> =
Whoops, France is=20
ahead (3-1), this is going to be a lively night in=20
Paris...</SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>French newsletter =
signing=20
off</FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>A la =
prochaine</FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>sjn</FONT></P>
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