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| Philosopher apologises for “immigrant” comments
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Alain Finkielkraut
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French philosopher Alain Finkielkraut apologized on Friday for comments he had made about the November riots which took place around France.
In the interview, published in the Israeli daily Ha’aretz, Finkielkraut underlined the lack of identification to France amongst many immigrants.
“Immigrants say ‘the French’ when they are referring to the whites, then we are lost. If their identity is located somewhere else and they’re only in France for utilitarian reasons, then we’re lost.
“I have to admit that the Jews are also starting to use this France. I say to them, ‘if for you France is a utilitarian matter, but your identity is Judaism, then be honest with yourself: you have Israel.”
Dror Mishani and Aurelia Smotriez, authors of the Haaretz article, said Finkielkraut was saying “things” he cannot say in France anymore.”
“It is impossible, perhaps even dangerous, to say these things in France now,” the authors added.
Nationwide scandal
 Look in France there are also other immigrants whose situation is difficulty and they are not taking part in the riots
Alain Finkielkraut | French newspaper Le Monde triggered a nationwide controversy with an article published on Thursday. The paper gathered a series of quotes from the Haaretz article, translated from the Hebrew edition of the Israeli newspaper.
And the same day, French anti-racist organisation, MRAP, the Movement against Racism and for the friendship between the peoples, announced that it had decided to sue Finkielkraut for “racism and incitation to hatred.”
Le Monde’s article quoted Finkielkraut in the original Haaretz article, among other statements, as saying: “The French mass media which was assimilating the riots that took place in the suburbs as a social-economic cause was shocked by the explanation given by Finkielkraut. “Look in France there are also other immigrants whose situation is difficulty – Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese - and they are not taking part in the riots. Therefore it is clear that this is a revolt with an ethno-religious character.”
Apology accepted
The person which emerged from this patchwork of quotes, I hate him, I do not recognize myself in this degrading individual
Alain Finkielkraut | On Friday Finkielkraut apologised for his comments on French radio “to all the people ’the person I am not’ had hurt.”
He stressed he was not making generalisations and that his analysis was more aimed at “certain” immigrants and not immigrants “in general”.
Finkielkraut nevertheless stated that he would not want to shake the hand of the person the Le Monde article depicted him as.
“The person which emerged from this patchwork of quotes, I hate him, I do not recognize myself in this degrading individual. It is a nightmare,” Finkielkraut said on the Europe 1 radio station on Friday.
Following his public apologies, the MRAP decided not to sue the philosopher, even though the organisation’s secretary general, Mouloud Aounit, said he “doubted” Finkielkraut’s sincerity.
On Sunday Finkielkraut did not host his weekly radio program on a French Jewish Radio, preferring to keep some distance with the controversy.
But next week he is expected to dedicate the program to explaining his statements.
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