Last Friday, Brice Hortefeux, France’s minister of the interior, was convicted of a racial slur against Arabs.
By IMAN KURDI
Courtesy Of "The ARAB NEWS"
A Paris court found him guilty of private insults of a racial nature for which he was fined 750 euros. He was also ordered to pay 2000 euros to MRAP (Movement Against Racism, Anti-Semitism and for Peace) that brought the case against him.
Hortefeux has the dubious honor of being the first serving minister to be convicted of a racist charge. In many countries this would cause widespread condemnation and the minister would be expected to apologize and resign. It would be the honorable thing to do, especially for a minister of interior. A minister or official who heads law enforcement must be seen to lead by example. If the minister of justice says it is OK to make racist remarks, what message does that send down the ranks?
So what exactly did Horefeux do?
The story centers on a young man called Amine Brouch-Benalia. As his name suggests, Brouch-Banalia has North African origins. His father is an Algerian. Last September, at a convention for young members of the ruling UMP party in Seignosse, Brouch-Benalia asked to have his picture taken with Hortefeux. As he does so, a woman is heard telling Hortefeux “Amine eats pork and drinks beer”, to which Hortefeux replies “Oh but that’s no good. He does not fit the prototype” and they all laugh. Then another female voice says, “He’s our little Arab” to which Hortefeux responds: “You always need one. When there is one it’s OK, but when there are lots of them there are problems.” And more laughter.
The exchange was caught on camera and posted on Le Monde’s website last September. It is unclear whether Hortefeux was aware he was being filmed. Though they are in a public place, the group are walking along in the sunshine and the whole exchange is said in a spirit of banter. It is not exactly a press conference. So where’s the harm? They were just joking around.
People who fight racism are often accused of not having a sense of humor. The “it was just a joke” or “they can’t even take a joke” line is one you hear every day. What they fail to understand is that humor is one of the most potent forms of racism. If a joke makes you laugh it’s because it reveals a truth you relate to. If you make fun of people from minorities you are both enforcing the stereotype behind the joke and belittling the person or the group you are making fun of.
The thing about this exchange is its frightening banality. It’s not offensive in the sense of inciting hatred or being out and out offensive like the opinions of certain politicians from the far right, but it is insulting and damaging to Arabs all the same.
First there is the woman who proudly tells us that this particular Arab eats pork and drinks alcohol. In other words she is saying that he is OK because he does not do as other Arabs do, he is a “good” Arab, one who had adopted her values and way of life, and implicitly an exception. He is the exception that makes the rule, the one “good” Arab among the multitude of “bad” Arabs. Then Hortefeux goes on to confirm that very prejudice. The use of the word “prototype” suggests that Arabs are all the same and is demeaning in its dehumanizing connotation. When he says one is OK, but when there are lots there is trouble, he is not only labeling Arabs troublemakers but confirming the idea that you might find one or two who are acceptable, but the majority are no-goods. And of course it once again tells French citizens born to Arab parents that they are not “genuine” French citizens. It’s bad enough hearing this kind of thing from members of the general public but coming from the minister of the interior and former minister of immigration, it’s devastating.
The outrage and condemnation at Hortefeux’s conviction has been a little slow. Though the opposition socialists have called for him to apologize and resign, he has not done so. He is a close friend of President Nicolas Sarkozy and continues to enjoy the support of his prime minister and political party.
Hortefeux is not a racist, we are told. Perhaps not, though you need not be a racist to make a racist remark. Racism is not a category, x is a racist and y is not, but a continuum. In fact, the “we’re not racists” refrain can hide the most entrenched prejudice. People who tell you, “I’m not racist, I have a black/Jewish/Muslim friend” usually genuinely believe that the act of befriending a member of a minority is evidence of their lack of racism and fail to notice that they have held on to much of the stereotypical beliefs that underpin racism.
What I find most appalling is Hortefeux’s unwillingness to apologize. He could quite simply have said I made a mistake, I apologize. But instead, ever since the story first broke out in September, he has come up with first one and then another cover story, sometimes saying that he meant people from the Auvergne region of France and not Arabs, and at other times saying his remarks were about having his photograph taken, one is OK but many is a problem. Who exactly is he trying to kid?
What impresses me most about this case is that in France an NGO can take the minister of the interior to court. And win! Though not quite, as MRAP, the NGO in question had brought a criminal case, whereas the judges only found him guilty of a minor offense. The court decided that the comments were made in private and not in public, and thus did not constitute a criminal offense. Both Hortefeux and MRAP have appealed the decision. If the Court of Appeal also finds Hortefeux guilty of a racist slur, will he then do the decent thing and apologize?
(ik511@hotmail.com)
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