perfidy

French right-winger (and as you all should know by now, a right winger in France is signifcantly different from one here) and Presidential hopeful M. Le Pen is making the most of the recent unrest by youths in France. Of course, Le Pen is more than willing to use the words "civil war" and "moslem" than most of the press.

Here's what ol' Jean-Marie had to say:

Le Pen claimed Wednesday his National Front party has been "submerged" with prospective members and supportive e-mail since rioting erupted in heavily immigrant communities near Paris.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Le Pen described the recent violence as "just the start" of conflicts caused by "massive immigration from countries of the Third World that is threatening not just France but the whole continent."

Le Pen said people with immigrant backgrounds who commit crimes should be stripped of their French nationality and sent "back to their country of origin."

Reminded that the vast majority of youths taking part in the arson and rioting are French, born in France to immigrant parents, he said: "What does that mean? Are they French because they have a French identity card?"

French nationality should be given only to those who ask for it and "who are worthy of it," he said. "Those who got nationality automatically, who don't consider themselves French and who even say publicly that they consider France their enemy should not be treated as French."

Le Pen said he is convinced that what he described as a surge in support for his "zero immigration" platform would translate into votes at the ballot box for his National Front party.

If this sort of thing goes on even intermittently over the next couple years, the 2007 election in France could be very, very interesting.