Rising star in French politics, right-wing polemicist Eric Zemmour, 63, says in an interview with sheet, that multiculturalism is harmful and that the very existence of Brazil is proof of that.
“Can you imagine what a multicultural Brazil would have been like, where everyone spoke their own language and there was no notion of the common good? It would have been divided into many micro-republics, like other countries in Latin America,” he says, in written responses .
Journalist and writer, Zemmour has reached heights of popularity with his criticisms of immigration and Islamic influence in France, themes of his recent bestseller “La France N’A Pas Dit son Dernier Mot” (France has not said its last word, still unpublished in Brazil). Such visibility has led to him being mentioned as a possible radical right candidate in next year’s presidential election.
Last week, a poll by the newspaper Le Monde placed him in second place at 16%, tied with the traditional leader of the French ultra-right, Marine Le Pen. In first place is the president Emmanuel Macron, with a range of 24% to 28%. In the interview, Zemmour says he hasn’t decided whether to run.
He also rejects a possible French version of the brexit, but because he says he believes the French focus should be on the “priority fight” against immigration. He is also sympathetic to national laws superimposing those of the bloc in some situations, as the Conservative government in Poland has defended.
Often called the “French Trump,” he praises the former US president’s policies but rejects the comparison. “I’m not into his style. I prefer books; he certainly prefers TV.”
As for Jair Bolsonaro, he avoids saying if he is a natural ally. It only states that, “if the left [no Brasil] had he not sacked Petrobras, Bolsonaro would never have been elected.”
Why mr. you say that multiculturalism poses a threat to France? Brazil was formed based on the principle of unity and assimilation. The Portuguese civilization, duly tropicalized, forced immigrants of all origins to join it to form this magnificent country and people that the world admires. Can you imagine what a multicultural Brazil would have been like, where everyone spoke their own language and the notion of the common good did not exist? It would have been divided into many micro-republics, like other countries in Latin America.
I don’t want my country to disintegrate into a plethora of community republics formed around ghettos whose only reason for being is to defend a bellicose and hateful “identity”. Multiculturalism is the inverse of French traditions. France is a republic that assimilates and assumes that, wherever you come from, you can become a French like any other.
Does Islam have a place in France? Islam is incompatible with the French Republic. Contrary to popular belief, Islam is not just a religion, but also a civil code, the sharia, in addition to a nation, the ummat al-islam, that is, the community of the faithful, and a civilization.
Sharia is the inequality between men and women that authorizes the stoning of the wife when she cheats on her husband, as is the case under the Taliban in Afghanistan. In Islam, you cannot caricature the prophet [Maomé]. In France you can caricature anyone. I want us to be able to continue to do so without running the risk of getting beheaded, like the unfortunate Samuel Paty [professor morto em 2020 após mostrar caricatura de Maomé em sala de aula].
France can no doubt admit the practice of Islam as a religion or spirituality, but it cannot accept a set of Islamic laws that would compete with its own legislation. Nor can it accept the constitution of an Islamic nation that would coexist with the national community. Islam as the exercise of a religion, yes; Islam as a civil code or as a nation, no!
What is your opinion about France’s presence in the European Union? I do not believe that France’s exit from the European Union is the solution. Managing a brexit would divert our attention from our immediate and vital priority, which is the fight against immigration. But the EU limits our ability to act on migration, economic and diplomatic issues. European institutions do not allow peoples to make their own choices, like Poland and Hungary on the issue of constitutional organization or minority rights.
What I propose is that we immediately regain control of our laws concerning issues of vital interest, such as immigration and the rebirth of our industry. French law must take precedence over European law. In the diplomatic field, European countries have neither the same interests nor the same worldview: France has a global vocation, unlike Germany or other countries. Therefore, wanting the EU to have a common foreign and defense policy is just an illusion.
Some call him the French Trump. What mr. do you think of this comparison? Donald Trump managed to unite the popular classes and the patriotic bourgeoisie. This strategy is correct. I also recognize that he had good political intuitions (about globalization, China, immigration) and that he fulfilled his commitments in his mandate, despite having disliked the orthodox view.
That said, I’m not a fan of his style and I’m very different from Trump: I don’t come from reality shows and I’ve been involved in political life in my country for over 30 years. I prefer books; he certainly prefers TV. I am a man of ideas and he is a businessman. Is not the same thing.
How do you respond to those who describe you as an extremist who incites racial hatred, especially against Arabs? In today’s world, all those who tell the truth are called mad. All who defend the common good are accused of extremism. I am in love with France, its civilization and its values, which are summed up in freedom, equality and fraternity. Are these values ​​extremist? I think not.
When France was strong, the whole world envied us for these values. Brazil itself was inspired by them in the 19th century, through the positivist movement. Many luxury properties in Brazil bear a French name, I am told. I wish the Arabs of France the same fate that the Syrians and the Lebanese had, who admirably assimilated to the civilization of their beautiful country. [Brasil]. The Arabs in Brazil are authentic Brazilians. I would like the Arabs of France to become authentic Frenchmen.
As a journalist, mr. defend limits to freedom of expression on social media? I am shocked to see how many journalists, in France and Brazil, defend censorship! What a reversal of values! I believe in democracy and freedom of expression. Of course, nothing can be said — the laws regarding insult, slander and defamation exist for that. Basically, what is at stake today is the ban on all diversity of opinions and ideas. I am in favor of true diversity: the diversity of points of view and sensitivities.
Mr. will be a candidate in the presidential election? And what is your opinion of President Macron? I’m not a candidate. I watch and reflect. I will make my decision at the right time. Macron is a prisoner of his dogmas: Europeanism and globalism. He is in line with the political caste that has been fighting to destroy France for 30 years. Chosen to reform the country and convert it into a “start-up nation”, he ended up doing nothing and provoked the anger of my compatriots, revealed in the crisis of the yellow vests.
France, which in the past was seen as a haven of peace, where people lived well, has become a violent place where teachers are beheaded and women are afraid to go out at night.
What mr. do you think of Marine Le Pen’s attempt to position himself as a more moderate voice in right field? I have nothing against Marine Le Pen. I think she is brave, brave. The problem is, she can’t win. Everyone around her is aware of it, and I’m convinced she knows it herself. Above all, Emmanuel Macron knows this, and that’s exactly why he dreams of reproducing a duel that he couldn’t lose.
And what do you think of the yellow vest movement? What is their message to the French political class? The yellow vests expressed the suffering of the popular and middle classes, faced with the specter of precariousness. One has to imagine the life of a Frenchman forced to leave the Parisian periphery due to immigration, who finds himself far from city centers and public services, who has to use his car to get around and discovers that the government has increased the tax on fuel . Added to this is the fact that he also has to pay for solidarity aid that is distributed without control, including to foreigners. It’s an unacceptable situation.
Brazil is witnessing a return of the military to politics. Also in France, the military is more present in the debate. Mr. Do you think the military has a place to occupy a government? if the left [do Brasil] had not looted Petrobras, if Dilma [Rousseff] had fought the terrible insecurity from which Brazilians suffer, [Jair] Bolsonaro would never have been elected and could never have reinstated military officers in the federal government. The return of the military is the left’s fault.
In France, some officials wrote an open letter to Macron about the deteriorating internal situation in the country. If Macron had done his job, they would have remained silent. Apart from that, the military is not present in public life. They say that the French army is “the great mute”, and in my opinion it must remain so.
Mr. do you consider Bolsonaro an ideological ally? It is not for me to evaluate a foreign head of state. The Brazilian president was elected by his people in the most democratic way possible. The French president must work with all his colleagues, without exception.
X-ray
Eric Zemmour, 63
Born in Montreuil, France, he holds a degree in political science from Sciences Po. He worked as a journalist at Le Quotidien de Paris (1986-96) and since then collaborates with Le Figaro. He is also the author of several books, including biographies, essays and works of fiction; his latest work is “La France N’A Pas Dit son Dernier Mot” (France did not say his last word)
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