A country air. In front of the Forum des Mondes méditerranéens in Marseille on Monday, Emmanuel Macron denounced those who “cast doubt” on the French “from elsewhere”, echoing certain criticisms expressed once morest candidates from the far right to the presidential election.
“Those who come from the other shore of the Mediterranean” are “a chance to make France bigger”, thus launched behind his webcam, in a speech-videoconference, the one who has not yet declared himself a candidate for his succession, but who regularly hints at his desire to represent himself.
At the initiative of the forum, Emmanuel Macron defended “the plural wealth” of the French coming from the diasporas “from the Levant, the Maghreb, southern Europe”, then criticizing, without naming him, Éric Zemmour: “For too many years, we have so often in our speeches, as if casting a doubt, as if coming from elsewhere it was necessary to cut off a part of this identity to be truly French”.
And to continue: “Cast a doubt, including in the contemporary public debate which is ours in France, by explaining that so many and so many of us, because they have origins, sometimes even first names, it is said ( …) should forget the richness of their family, their culture, sometimes the links that exist on the other side. I believe quite the opposite”, he declared, while Mr. Zemmour wants to impose on children to be born in France to bear “French first names”.
Great things to bring to France
“I expect all our compatriots to be totally French and European, to respect all the rules of the Republic, to love their country, but I want to say to all the children of the Republic, whatever their history, that when they come from this other bank, they have great things to bring to France and that it is a chance, that of making France bigger”.
“Our diasporas, our dual nationals are a tremendous opportunity for France and we must help them succeed, including on the other side of the Mediterranean”, he insisted, announcing a fund of 100 million euros for “entrepreneurs living in France who want to invest in the Maghreb.
Emmanuel Macron also wanted to “facilitate the movement of those who contribute to our economic, cultural and scientific exchanges”, within the framework of cooperation between States to “effectively regulate migration”. This possibility of easier movement, which he did not detail, will be on the agenda of the EU-African Union summit scheduled for February 17 and 18 in Brussels, he promised.
Last fall, the French government announced a reduction in the number of visas granted to the Maghreb countries which, according to Paris, are not doing enough to accommodate their nationals expelled from France.
