France: a new round of racism from Sarkozy

I had meant to bring some attention to this a while back:

Widespread Support For Banning Full Islamic Veil in Western Europe Pew Research Center

In July the French national assembly passed the ban. I thought this was all pure political cynicism by a sad and isolated Sarkozy, but I guess the old imp had some support: 82%, in fact.

I'm sharing because the issue comes up surprisingly often out on the party circuit.

Note that 65% of Americans disapprove.

Well, back to Sarkozy's villainy. His pathetic argument for the full veil ban - women's rights, secularism, security - is belied by the fact that he's an authoritarian bigot. He's recently ordered round-ups of illegal Roma, breaking up camps and stirring up memories of the Nazis. This, after a riot in which police fired on and killed a Gypsy* youth, reminiscent of riots and police killings there in 2005 and 2007. In 2005 he referred to poor immigrants as "scum" and said he wanted to hose down their neighborhoods.

I'd love to argue one way or the other, but I can't see very clearly whether lowest common denominator politics have legitimized fringe xenophobia, or if that fear is a reaction to something else (possibly the economy). But something must account for that number: 82%! I mean, that hardly leaves enough room for the people affected by the ban plus those who you'd think would side with them! I think what we can tentatively predict, at least, is that those numbers don't bode well civil rights in France. The government almost has a mandate for things like Gestapo-style roundups and crackdowns, this Roma affair possibly representing the first of them.

Come on, France! Qu'est-ce qui se passe??

*Associated Press says 'Gypsy' (capitalized) or 'Roma'. Christian Science Monitor article does not capitalize, and the article says that, in France, 'Roma' refers to foreign Gypsies, 'travelers' to French Gypsies. I like to go with AP, but I have no idea what the Roma themselves would like to be called.