In recent months, some French and foreign press and certain intellectuals and politicians have denounced what they said was an illiberal drift in France. But while democracies may be under threat elsewhere, France is thriving.
Seen from abroad, the images of the demonstrations in France are astonishing, even frightening, as clashes between authorities and the demonstrators were numerous and sometimes violent.
From day one, politicians and media denounced the authorities’ response and alleged that President Emmanuel Macron was experimenting with authoritarianism when exercising his powers.
The president further fanned these rhetorical flames as he used constitutional tools to push through his controversial pension reform without a parliamentary vote.
A longer parliamentary debate should undoubtedly have taken place – that is the whole point of parliamentary democracies – but using it as evidence that France is drifting toward an illiberal or dictatorial regime is wildly exaggerated.
No country moving towards a dictatorship would allow people to demonstrate against the government for almost six months, sometimes with more than a million people in the streets.
The French are famous – and infamous – for their penchant for protesting, and the fact that it continues is a testament to the freedoms they enjoy.
Procedures such as disciplinary boards or internal investigations are in place for police who cross the line with disproportionate use of violence or racist remarks. Furthermore, statistics show that, on average, well over half of such cases are deemed admissible and processed.
The magnitude and volume of the protests are not indicative of a lurch towards authoritarianism – quite au contraire – they are evidence that French democracy is very much alive.
In countries with a less dynamic protest culture, images coming out of France may seem shocking and give the impression of a city on fire. But let us remember that it is dramatic images that make headlines. And while most demonstrations were peaceful, those images would not create such eye-catching front pages.
An American friend recently asked my family if these days we all walk around Paris with riot helmets. It goes without saying that this is obviously not true. We continue to enjoy our aperitifs peacefully on the terraces of our cafés.
Tempering foreigners’ perceptions of France’s ‘illiberal drift’ is not a denial of reality: Even if the constitutional tool used by Macron to push through the reform may look controversial, Article 49.3 has been invoked no less than 100 times since 1958.
Denouncing the right-wing drift of the current government is – and that goes without saying – a duty of left-wing political opponents. But overstating the harm of Macron’s leadership erodes the credibility of the left, which is already fractured along the lines of how forcefully its factions oppose Macron.
Comparing a free state – one in which press freedom is indeed progressing, according to Reporters Without Borders – to a democrature or a dictatorship and a slightly uptight leader to a pseudo-fascist undermines the cause it claims to serve.
Hypothetically, if the extreme right were to enter office and implement changes that really do crack down on democratic freedoms, the rest of the world might be unlikely to listen because the country has already cried wolf over Macron.
Illiberalism is a clear and present danger everywhere today, and France is no exception. But parallels cannot honestly be drawn to Russia, Iran or Turkey.
Nor is France the same as Viktor Orbàn’s Hungary, which represses the rights of women and the LGBTQI community, nor is it Poland, which has muzzled the justice system and the press.
Our press freedoms, and politicians’ freedom of speech, include the ability to sensationalise. But at what cost?
The Roundup
The European Commission is open to introducing a mechanism for protecting trade secrets in the Data Act as long as it remains an exception rather than the rule, according to an internal note seen by EURACTIV.
While the European Commission defused tensions around Ukrainian grain exports, criticism is increasingly building around how the EU executive handled countries like Poland, which unilaterally imposed import bans.
On Monday, a group of Italian farmers protested to the cry of ‘No Europe without agriculture’ outside the venue where Commission executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans was delivering a speech.
Former White House advisor Amy Pope won a vote in Geneva on Monday to head the UN migration agency, prevailing in a tense contest against a Portuguese incumbent who had the support of the EU countries.
The EU acknowledges Kazakhstan’s efforts to ensure its territory is not used to circumvent European and international sanctions against Russia, the EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell said in talks with the new Kazakh deputy prime minister and foreign affairs minister on Tuesday.
Last but not least, do not miss this week’s Transport Brief: EU court shoots airline bailout out of the sky.
Look out for….
- Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides receives Xavier Becerra, US secretary of health and human services, for EU-US health dialogue on Wednesday.
- US-EU Trade and Technology Council: Talent for growth taskforce kick-off with Commissioner Nicolas Schmit and US counterparts.
Views are the author’s
[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic/Alice Taylor]
Source: euractiv.com
