President François Hollande made "the spirit of January 11th" the leitmotif of his bi-annual press conference on Thursday. On January 11th, nearly four million citizens marched in the streets of France to protest against the killing of 17 people by Islamist gunmen. "We meet one month after events that profoundly marked France, that are henceforward inscribed in our national memory," Mr Hollande said. "France was attacked in what is most sacred to her: freedom of expression, the republic and human equality. . . The spirit of January 2015 is the unity of the republic. The government and I must prolong that spirit."
The attacks changed him and the country, Mr Hollande said. “What struck me, beyond the tragedy, is that the French, who are always said to be attached to their privileges, rose above their own interests . . . In a few days, because this trial happened, we showed we are a great country . . . not vengeful, fearful or bitter.”
The French leader emphasised the importance of laïcité or state-enforced secularism. In past centuries, the Catholic church often perceived the concept, born of the Enlightenment, as a source of persecution. More recently, French Muslims have lived it as an attack on their faith. “Laïcité is not negotiable, for it enables us to live together,” Mr Hollande said. “It must be understood for what it is: freedom of conscience and therefore freedom of religion . . . It is a guarantee for France against intolerance.”
Mr Hollande said laïcité must be taught from early childhood in schools, which are “the best weapon for reconquest” of “the neighbourhoods,” as he referred to the immigrant banlieues. He promised to pursue a policy of “settlement” which, although he did not use such designations, would bring Arabs and Africans into predominantly white areas.
France does not collect statistics on ethnic or religious groups. “What are we going to do?” he asked rhetorically: “Put people on lists who will have rights that others don’t?”
Mr Hollande promised that penalties will be increased, and blamed France's housing authorities for relegating immigrant families to the banlieues.
Inequality
The president announced the creation of a “national agency for development” to fight economic inequality. In a move that has sparked debate, he promised to give every youth the opportunity to sign up for an eight-month “civic service” programme, starting June 1st. It will not be obligatory, which may defeat the purpose of integrating disaffected youth.
A year ago, Mr Hollande’s press conference was dominated by his affair with actor Julie Gayet, and his conversion to supply side economics. He neglected the economy yesterday, saying only that he will continue present policies.
Mr Hollande was most at ease discussing foreign policy. He announced that he and chancellor Angela Merkel were about to leave on a joint mission to Kiev and Moscow "to make a new proposal based on the territorial integrity of Ukraine".
Mr Hollande criticised Russia for arming the separatists, and the US for considering arming Ukraine. "France has always said that Ukraine should not enter Nato. . . The Russians think they see the hand of the Americans, as if we were back in the old days. We are on the same continent. We must resolve these questions."
The French president recalled that he and Dr Merkel had been instrumental in bringing presidents Poroshenko and Putin together last June, and contributed to the September 2014 Minsk protocol ceasefire. “Then everything fell apart . . . Now we are in a war that could become total,” he warned.
